Phrase guide

Gordian knot

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɡɔːdɪən ˈnɒt/
  • US: /ˈɡoʊɹdɪən ˈnɑt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The legendary knot tied to a pole near the temple of Zeus in Gordium.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Greek

Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any intricate and complex problem having a simple solution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an intricate knot tied by Gordius, the king of Phrygia, and cut by the sword of Alexander the Great after he heard that whoever undid it would become ruler of Asia

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: knot

4

noun

Meaning 4

any very difficult problem; insoluble in its own terms

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: problem

History

Etymology

From the name of a legendary knot tied to a pole near the temple of Zeus in Gordium. It was prophesied that whoever loosed the knot would become ruler of all Asia. Alexander the Great solved the puzzle by slicing through the knot and took it as a sign of Zeus' favor. He then proceeded to conquer much of the known world.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: գորդյան հանգույց (gordyan hanguycʻ) — mythical knot
  • Belarusian: го́рдзіеў ву́зел (hórdzijew vúzjel) — mythical knot
  • Bulgarian: го́рдиев въ́зел (górdiev vǎ́zel) — mythical knot
  • Catalan: nus gordià — mythical knot
  • Chinese Mandarin: 戈耳狄俄斯之結 /戈耳狄俄斯之结 (Gē'ěrdí'ésī zhī jié) — mythical knot
  • Czech: gordický uzel — mythical knot
  • Danish: gordisk knude — mythical knot
  • Finnish: Gordionin solmu — mythical knot
  • French: nœud gordien — mythical knot
  • German: Gordischer Knoten — mythical knot
  • Greek: γόρδιος δεσμός (górdios desmós) — mythical knot
  • Hungarian: gordiuszi csomó — mythical knot
  • Icelandic: Gordíans hnúturinn — mythical knot
  • Italian: nodo gordiano — mythical knot
  • Japanese: ゴルディオスの結び目 (gorudiosu no musubime) — mythical knot
  • Limburgish: Górdische knoup — mythical knot
  • Macedonian: гордиев јазол (gordiev jazol) — mythical knot
  • Norwegian: gordisk knute — mythical knot
  • Pannonian Rusyn: Ґордийов ґузел (Gordijov guzel) — mythical knot
  • Polish: węzeł gordyjski — mythical knot
  • Portuguese: nó górdio — mythical knot
  • Romanian: nod gordian — mythical knot
  • Russian: го́рдиев у́зел (górdijev úzel) — mythical knot
  • Serbo-Croatian: Гордијев чвор — mythical knot
  • Serbo-Croatian: Gordijev čvor — mythical knot
  • Slovak: gordický uzol — mythical knot
  • Slovene: gordijski vozel — mythical knot
  • Spanish: nudo gordiano — mythical knot
  • Swedish: gordisk knut — mythical knot
  • Ukrainian: го́рдіїв ву́зол (hórdijiv vúzol) — mythical knot
  • Albanian: nyja gordiane — intricate problem
  • Armenian: գորդյան հանգույց (gordyan hanguycʻ) — intricate problem
  • Czech: gordický uzel — intricate problem
  • Danish: gordisk knude — intricate problem
  • Dutch: gordiaanse knoop — intricate problem
  • Finnish: Gordionin solmu — intricate problem
  • French: nœud gordien — intricate problem
  • Greek: γόρδιος δεσμός (górdios desmós) — intricate problem
  • Hungarian: gordiuszi csomó — intricate problem
  • Icelandic: Gordíans hnúturinn — intricate problem
  • Italian: nodo gordiano — intricate problem
  • Japanese: ゴルディオスの結び目 (gorudiosu no musubime) — intricate problem
  • Limburgish: Górdische knoup — intricate problem
  • Norwegian: gordisk knute — intricate problem
  • Polish: węzeł gordyjski — intricate problem
  • Portuguese: nó górdio — intricate problem
  • Romanian: nod gordian — intricate problem
  • Russian: го́рдиев у́зел (górdijev úzel) — intricate problem
  • Slovene: gordijski vozel — intricate problem
  • Spanish: nudo gordiano — intricate problem
  • Swedish: gordisk knut — intricate problem
  • Ukrainian: го́рдіїв ву́зол (hórdijiv vúzol) — intricate problem