What does convoluted mean?
Word: Convoluted
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Convoluted means so complicated, with so many twists and parts, that it is hard to follow or understand; it can also describe something twisted into many coils.
Synonyms: complicated, complex, tangled, involved
Antonyms: simple, straightforward, clear
Word origin: Comes from a Latin word meaning rolled together.
How do you spell convoluted?
Syllables: con - vo - lu - ted
Tricky part: After conv comes o, not a: students who say the word quickly write convaluted.
Watch out for: convaluted, convuluted
Memory tip: A volume was once a rolled-up scroll, and a convoluted story is all rolled and twisted: keep the o of volume straight after conv.
Convoluted in a sentence
Example 1: The instructions for the new washing machine were so convoluted that Papa gave up and called the shop.
Example 2: Her excuse for missing the bus was long and convoluted, and nobody believed it.
Example 3: The road up to the hill town follows a convoluted path, with a hairpin bend every few minutes.
Fun Fact
Official forms are famous for convoluted wording, and in Britain the Plain English Campaign has been fighting such writing since 1979.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) institute
b) convolutted
c) substitute
d) absolute
Show answer
b) convolutted. Convoluted has a single t, just like absolute and institute.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
dlocevonut
a) lasting for only a very short time
b) showing great respect and admiration
c) unwilling to change your opinions
d) winding about so much that it confuses people
Show answer
d) winding about so much that it confuses people. The ten letters make convoluted, and a convoluted plan or story is hard to follow.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the sentence?
The rules of the new board game were so convoluted that even my uncle, who solves two crosswords a week, needed an hour and a calculater to understand the scoring.
a) 1
b) 4
c) 3
d) 2
Show answer
a) 1. Only calculater is wrong: calculator ends in -or. Convoluted and scoring are spelt correctly.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The plot of the mystery film was so convolluted that half of us had lost track of who was who before the interval.
a) mystery and interval
b) only convolluted
c) convolluted and interval
d) only interval
Show answer
b) only convolluted. Convoluted has a single l, as in volume; interval and mystery are spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Your friend gives you convoluted directions to her house. What are you most likely to do?
a) arrive far too early
b) ask her for a simpler route
c) throw the map away
d) get there in a minute
Show answer
b) ask her for a simpler route
2. Convoluted comes from a Latin verb meaning to roll. Which of these words shares that Latin root?
a) vocal
b) revolve
c) valid
d) violin
Show answer
b) revolve
