Synonyms for tortuous

Adjective

1. Byzantine, convoluted, intricate, involved, knotty, labyrinthine, tangled, tortuous, complex (vs. simple)

usage: highly involved or intricate; "the Byzantine tax structure"; "convoluted legal language"; "convoluted reasoning"; "intricate needlework"; "an intricate labyrinth of refined phraseology"; "the plot was too involved"; "a knotty problem"; "got his way by labyrinthine maneuvering"; "Oh, what a tangled web we weave"- Sir Walter Scott; "tortuous legal procedures"; "tortuous negotiations lasting for months"

2. tortuous, twisting, twisty, winding, crooked (vs. straight)

usage: marked by repeated turns and bends; "a tortuous road up the mountain"; "winding roads are full of surprises"; "had to steer the car down a twisty track"

3. tortuous, indirect (vs. direct)

usage: not straightforward; "his tortuous reasoning"