Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
Gordian [gawr-dee-uh n] ExamplesWord Origin adjective
- pertaining to Gordius, ancient king of Phrygia, who tied a knot (the Gordian knot) that, according to prophecy, was to be undone only by the person who was to rule Asia, and that was cut, rather than untied, by Alexander the Great.
- resembling the Gordian knot in intricacy.
Idioms
- cut the Gordian knot, to act quickly and decisively in a difficult situation; solve a problem boldly.
Origin of Gordian 1555–65; Latin Gordi(us) (Greek Górdios Gordius) + -an Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Related Words for gordian tricky, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling, sticky, thorny, complicated, sophisticated, convoluted, intricate, disturbing, obscure, troublesome, problematic, hard, arduous, fancy, knotty, difficult, muddled Examples from the Web for gordian Contemporary Examples of gordian
Of course, if we can mix our classical references, Russia has its Sword of Damocles to cut this Gordian Knot.
Ravenous Russia? Thirsty Crimea.
Oleg Shynkarenko, Will Cathcart
May 4, 2014
Berlusconi, it is true, did not cut this Gordian knot, but neither did he tie it in the first place.
Berlusconi Exits, and an Era of Sexist Buffoonery Is Over
Lawrence Osborne
November 17, 2011
Entwined within this Gordian knot is a truth so terrible as to be rarely spoken.
Obama’s Historic Mideast Gamble
Leslie H. Gelb
May 21, 2011
Historical Examples of gordian
“That’s what I call cutting the Gordian knot,” said M. Grimaldi.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete
Jacques Casanova de Seingalt
You must make up your mind, and cut the Gordian knot, like Alexander.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete
Jacques Casanova de Seingalt
You can’t untie your Gordian knot because it can’t be untied—you’ve got to cut it.
Herbert Kaufman
The proof of this last was that he took a revolver to his Gordian knot.
Rupert Hughes
“I have something to tell you,” he says, cutting the Gordian knot at a clean stroke.
Amanda Minnie Douglas
