byzantine
excessively complicated, intricate, or devious
Word origin: From Byzantium, named for the empire renowned for elaborate administration and intrigue.
Byzantine in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing byzantine in a sentence.
Navigating the byzantine tax code required a team of accountants.
The tax code's byzantine provisions defeated even the accountants hired to interpret them.
Quick GRE check
3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?
Verbal · Sentence Equivalence
Because the evidence linking the additive to the illness remained blank, regulators declined to issue a ban and instead called for further study.
Using “byzantine” well
When lowercased, byzantine means excessively intricate or devious, a figurative use drawn from the elaborate politics of the Byzantine Empire. It often implies frustrating complexity.
More GRE words starting with B
marked by riotous, unrestrained revelry and drunken festivity
to pester or harass someone persistently
light, playful, and witty banter
to confuse or perplex thoroughly
threatening harm or menacing in a sinister way
to hesitate or refuse to proceed with something
to swell or puff out, or to increase rapidly in amount or size
lacking originality and so dull or commonplace
Questions about “byzantine”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.