adjective, knot·ti·er, knot·ti·est. 1.having
knots; full of
knots:
a knotty piece of wood. 2.involved, intricate, or difficult: a knotty problem.
Origin: 1200–50; Middle English cnotti. See
knot1,
-y1 Related forms knot·ti·ly, adverb
knot·ti·ness, noun
un·knot·ty, adjective
Synonyms
2. complex, complicated.