What does labyrinthine mean?
Labyrinthine describes something resembling a maze: complicated, twisting, and difficult to navigate. Its literal use is relatively uncommon, but the adjective is widely applied to abstract systems, processes, organizations, and problems whose many interconnected elements make them hard to understand. The phrase “labyrinthine complexity” is especially characteristic, while “labyrinthine bureaucracy” conveys a particularly dense and obstructive administrative process. The word can be admiring when the complexity reflects sophisticated organization, though it often suggests that the subject is excessively tangled, confusing, or cumbersome. Because it evokes both physical mazes and the legendary Labyrinth of Greek mythology, labyrinthine carries a vivid sense of intricacy and disorientation.
adjectiveResembling a maze in its complex and confusing arrangement. Often used figuratively to describe intricately tangled processes, structures, or situations.
- Having the form or structure of a maze, with many complicated, interconnected passages.
- Extremely complex, tangled, or difficult to understand or navigate.
"Negotiating the labyrinthine regulations took the new employee the better part of a morning."
"The forest contains a labyrinthine network of narrow paths and hidden streams."
"Her research uncovered a labyrinthine set of causes behind the policy failure."
Its name descends from the Labyrinth of Greek mythology, the legendary maze attributed to Daedalus.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does labyrinthine come from?
The adjective was formed in the early 17th century from the Latin labyrinthinus, meaning “pertaining to a labyrinth.” Latin labyrinthus came from the Greek labyrinthos, associated with the Labyrinth built by Daedalus for King Minos in Greek mythology. The modern word therefore preserves the ancient maze’s associations with complexity, confusion, and difficult passage.
How labyrinthine is actually used
The word is formal and often literary. Its figurative use is much more common than its literal reference to a physical maze, and it can suggest complexity that is frustrating or difficult to understand.
Easily confused with labyrinthine
A labyrinth is a complicated network of passages, while labyrinthine is an adjective describing something that resembles or is characterized by such complexity.
Labyrinthical is a less common adjective form with a meaning similar to labyrinthine, whereas labyrinthine is the standard modern form.