2
exacting(adjective, hard, tough, severe, rough)
2
fancy(adjective, hard, difficult, exact, complex)
2
fussy(adjective, fancy, difficult, exact, complex)
2
inscrutable
2
intractable(difficulty, problematic)
2
knurly
2
labyrinthian
2
mean(adjective, hard, tough, severe, rough)
2
mysterious(adjective, hard, evil, delicate, loose)
2
nettlesome(tough, tricky, complicated, problematic, thorny)
2
nodular(adjective, harsh, coarse, irregular, uneven)
2
paradoxical(adjective, hard, obscure, sophisticated, tricky)
2
rigorous(adjective, tough, severe, rough, difficult)
2
rococo(adjective, complex, involved, complicated)
2
secret(adjective, evil, deep, mysterious, hidden)
2
slavish(adjective, tough, rough, difficult, heavy)
2
spiny(tricky, complicated, thorny, spiky)
2
touchy(delicate, awkward, complicated)
2
twisting
2
twisty
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APASmart Define. (2015). knotty thesaurus. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/knotty/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "knotty thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/knotty/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 24, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, knotty thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 24 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/knotty/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "knotty thesaurus" 14 April 2015. Web. 24 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/knotty/thesaurus/synonyms>