Learn English – Convoluted vs Intricate vs Elaborate vs Perplexing

word-choiceword-differenceword-usage

Convoluted means:

  • Especially of an argument, story, or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow

  • Intricate

  • Very complicated or detailed

Elaborate means:

Involving many carefully arranged parts or details; detailed and complicated in design and planning

Perplex means:

Complicate or confuse (a matter)

Source: Oxford Dictionaries

well I have learned the word convoluted recently.Before that, I thought the word intricate was the strongest in this sense. But when we look at the definitions it is hard to discern how to use them correctly because they mostly mean "very/ extremely complicated/complex/detailed".

As far I know a product made by an artist or scientist can be intricate or elaborate and also complex/complicated. For example a mural, fresco or automatic machine like a robot.

On the other hand, it seems like the word convoluted is more associated with written documents like legal terms and conditions or arguments which involves in many aspects of many subjects.

I'm not sure the word perplexing is used in a sense like baffling mostly but a novel's plot can be perplexing in a good/positive sense or when we use the perplexing we happen to suggest that we don't understand its context?

So can a software program, a machine, a film's/novel's plot, an art paint be convoluted?

Best Answer

before we can attempt an answer, we need to look at the meanings of these adjectives:

  1. convoluted
    stems from volute, an architectural detail on columns etc.: a decorative "spiral" or "roll".

    It has since developed an figurative meaning of "twisted" or "wound". If you have a plot or document, it's not straight forward and to the point, but - figuratively - goes round in circles. It often means confusing, but not necessarily so.

  2. intricate
    means tangled - often many (small) parts that are intertwined to form one entity. It seems similar to convoluted, but note that with convoluted the "in circles" aspect is dominant, while intricate simply focuses on the connection.

  3. elaborate
    contains labour - focusing on the work or effort involved to produce something. It often has an undertone of long, reflecting the time that goes with the effort.

  4. perplexed
    has undergone the biggest shift in meaning over time, keeping basically only one of his original meanings: bewildering, surprising. It's sort of "the odd one out" in your list.

So back to the original question about uses of convoluted:

A text/story or a piece of software can be convoluted, a painting or a machine not. Unless it is literally rolled up somehow1.

1http://www.deskeng.com/de/the-marriage-of-math-and-art-in-3d-printing/

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