byzantine

adjective

ˈbi-zᵊn-ˌtēn How to pronounce byzantine (audio)
Definition of byzantinenext
as in complicated
having many parts or aspects that are usually interrelated spent his first year at the Pentagon just trying to fathom its byzantine workings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of byzantine Connor, as a soccer novice, initially had no clue how the byzantine qualification process worked. — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 3 June 2026 In the Byzantine western water world, this is revolutionary stuff, if a bit technical. — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 June 2026 At the same time, many owners of homes and businesses that burned down are more focused on navigating the byzantine rebuilding process and trying to sell their lots than on maintaining their properties. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 Following a behind-schedule and over-budget redevelopment by Transport for London, the roundabout was replaced last year with a byzantine road and cycle lane layout which, peppered with traffic lights, causes constant congestion in the area. — Ian King, CNBC, 10 June 2026 Lasdun, by contrast, insists on delivering a meticulous retelling of the Murdaugh case, complete with byzantine subplots involving the suspicious death of the family’s housekeeper and the murder of another local teenager. — Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 The Fresco Building takes its name from its history of having hosted two 13th-century Byzantine frescoes for 15 years, from 1997 to 2012. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 17 June 2026 The 60,000-square-foot Byzantine and Moorish-style Art Deco building will reopen this summer after undergoing a three-year, $88 million renovation. — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 26 May 2026 As a result, half of the states opted out despite the prospect of generous federal job-creation assistance, due to fear of America’s byzantine permitting system and an array of entrenched interests commonly referred to as Not In My Backyard (NIMBY). — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byzantine
  1. complicated
  2. intricate
  3. complicate
  4. complex
  5. sophisticated
Adjective
  • Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own.
    — Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • The study authors caution that the model should be applied carefully to more complicated perovskites in which structural changes and dielectric effects occur simultaneously.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026
Definition of complicated
Adjective
  • Alabama man creates intricate America 250 lawn art In Trussville, Alabama, one homeowner turned his front yard into a patriotic canvas.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Her custom ceremony Galia Lahav dress was designed with intricate lace details and an exaggerated silhouette at the hips.
    — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Definition of intricate
Adjective
  • Wilcox noted that overlaps between substance use and suicide complicate reduction efforts.
    — Danielle J. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026
  • Fires in salt cedar can create spotting conditions and complicate suppression efforts, especially on windy days, when embers are carried ahead of containment lines, according to the department.
    — Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 4 May 2026
Definition of complicate
Adjective
  • Autism is a complex developmental condition now known as autism spectrum disorder that affects people in different ways.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
  • But now, at an outcrop on the edge of an ancient river channel named Neretva Vallis, Perseverance detected complex macromolecular carbon sitting right on the rock’s surface.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 4 July 2026
Definition of complex
Adjective
  • The food options are notably more sophisticated than standard commercial airline fare.
    — Annie Archer, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
  • Go casual with denim shorts or lean more sophisticated with crisp trousers for the office — two ways Swift has styled white shirts before.
    — Claire West, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of sophisticated

Browse Nearby Words

bywords
byzantine
cab
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Byzantine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byzantine. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on byzantine

Nglish: Translation of byzantine for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All