Word · Frequency #21895
knotty
棘手的；难解决的；复杂的
Complicated or difficult to solve or understand; tricky; complex.
- 1.
Of string or something stringlike: full of, or tied up, in knots.
(绳子或类似绳子的东西)多结的,被结缠住的。
- 2.
making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
费解的；难以理解的
- 3.
Of a part of the body, a tree, etc.: full of knots (knobs or swellings); gnarled, knobbly.
(身体部位、树木等)多节瘤的；粗糙多节的
- 4.
used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots
多节瘤的；多疙瘩的
- 5.
Complicated or tricky; complex, difficult.
复杂棘手的；困难复杂的
- 6.
highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; - Sir Walter Scott
复杂难懂的；曲折迂回的
- 7.
Of an austere or hard nature; rugged.
严酷或艰苦的；粗犷的
多结的；有结的；多节瘤的；多疙瘩的；严酷的；艰苦的；(绳子或类似绳子的东西)多结的,被结缠住的。；费解的；难以理解的
In use
The detective faced a knotty problem that took weeks to solve.
This math equation is the knottiest one I've ever seen.
We need to find a solution to this knotty issue in our team.
I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast
a knotty problem
knotty + noun
knotty 常修饰抽象名词如 problem, issue, question 等。
We are facing a knotty problem.
我们正面临一个棘手的问题。
be knotty
作表语时表示主语的性质。
This issue is knotty.
这个问题是棘手的。
Connections
Collocations
- knotty problem
- 棘手的问题
- The team finally solved the knotty problem of data storage.团队最终解决了数据存储这个棘手的问题。
- knotty issue
- 复杂难办的问题
- Negotiators spent days on the knotty issue of border rights.谈判代表花了数天时间处理边境权利这一复杂难办的问题。
- knotty question
- 难题；难以回答的问题
- She asked a knotty question that stumped the panel.她提出了一个难倒专家组的问题。
- knotty puzzle
- 难解的谜题
- The detective faced a knotty puzzle with no obvious clues.侦探面对一个毫无明显线索的难解之谜。
- knotty pine
- 多节松木
- The cabin walls were finished with knotty pine.小屋的墙壁用多节松木装修。
- knotty wood
Learner notes
Memory Tip
想象一根绳子结满绳结(knot)难解开，knotty就指多结的，引申为难题复杂棘手、难以处理。
Context & Register
语域：mixed 常见场景：describing rope, string, or a tangled mass、describing gnarled wood, tree trunks, or body parts、discussing a difficult, complicated problem or question 该词有多个相关义项：表示“多结的、多疙瘩的”时通常属于中性客观描述，多用于木材、绳线或身体部位等的说明；表示“复杂棘手、难以解决”时多用于较正式的书面语境，如学术、法律或政策讨论，口语中也可用 tricky 或 difficult。请根据场合选择合适的义项。
Grammar Note
常作定语或表语，意为‘棘手的’或‘多结的’。
Pronunciation & Spelling
与 knotty /ˈnɑti/ 真正押韵的有 spotty、snotty、potty、dotty（美音均为 /ˈ...ɑti/）。注意拼写相似的 naughty 通常读作 /ˈnɔːti/，元音不同，并不押韵；不过在一些有 cot–caught 合流的美国口音中也可能读成 /ˈnɑti/。另外，knotty 开头的 k 不发音。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.