Definition of 'byzantine'
Noun
- a native or inhabitant of Byzantium or of the Byzantine Empire
Adjective
- of or relating to the Eastern Orthodox Church or the rites performed in it; "Byzantine monks"; "Byzantine rites"
- of or relating to or characteristic of the Byzantine Empire or the ancient city of Byzantium
- highly complex or intricate; "the Byzantine tax structure"; "convoluted legal language"; "convoluted reasoning"; "the plot was too involved"; "a knotty problem"; "got his way by labyrinthine maneuvering"; "Oh, what a tangled web we weave"- Sir Walter Scott; "tortuous legal procedures"; "tortuous negotiations lasting for months"
Synonyms: convoluted involved knotty tangled tortuous - characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue; devious; "Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship"; "a fine hand for Byzantine deals and cozy arrangements"
