labyrinth

noun

lab·y·rinth ˈla-bə-ˌrin(t)th

-rən(t)th

: a place constructed of or full of intricate passageways and blind alleys

a complex labyrinth of tunnels and chambers

: a maze (as in a garden) formed by paths separated by high hedges

: something extremely complex or tortuous (see tortuous sense 1) in structure, arrangement, or character : intricacy, perplexity

a labyrinth of swamps and channels

guided them through the labyrinths of city life

Paul Blanshard

: a tortuous anatomical structure

especially : the internal ear or its bony or membranous part

Did you know?

Is there a difference between maze and labyrinth?

Is there a difference between the words maze and labyrinth? Not so much; both words are used in reference to confusing networks of passages or channels, or for a thing that is complicated or confusingly elaborate. However, in origin the two words are quite different. Maze is presumed to come from an unrecorded Old English word masian (“to confuse”), whereas labyrinth has a more classical pedigree.

Ancient Greek legends tell of King Minos of Crete, who had the inventor Daedalus create a labyrinth beneath his palace in which was housed the Minotaur, a fearsome monster with the head of a bull and body of a man. The Minotaur was said to have been slain by the Greek hero Theseus, who then managed to find his way out of the labyrinth with the aid of a ball of thread that had been given to him by Ariadne, the daughter of Minos.

Example Sentences

a complex labyrinth of tunnels and chambers The cockpit was a labyrinth of instruments and controls. a labyrinth of social customs and rules

Recent Examples on the Web My case, this time, is lost in the labyrinth of bureaucracy in Ankara.

Nick Hilden, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2022 The area is a labyrinth of mountains and canyons that rise out of the earth as if to swallow any invading force.

New York Times, 18 Aug. 2022 Aware of this international labyrinth, even some federal prosecutors discouraged agents from pursuing complex cyber investigations.

Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2022 Agents mapped out the structure of his organization and sifted through a global labyrinth of transactions.

Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 11 Oct. 2022 There are more than 80 miles of twisty, tangled asphalt threading along the coast and through the Santa Monica Mountains, like a Daedalus labyrinth of sage and steep cliffs.

Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 2 Oct. 2022 The manor consists of a labyrinth of hallways, doors and secret passageways.

Kiran Saini, Detroit Free Press, 1 Oct. 2022 Ladj Ly and Elias Belkeddar tell the story of the siege that follows nearly entirely within Athena's concrete labyrinth, building around a series of long takes emphasizing the chaos of running skirmishes and Karim's makeshift plans.

Thomas Page, CNN, 23 Sep. 2022 The Icelandic Punk Museum, a tiny labyrinth in a converted public bathroom, is partly a shrine to The Sugarcubes, the rock band that brought Björk to international fame in the late ’80s.

Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'labyrinth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.