tortuous

/ˈtɔrtʃuəs/
adjective
  1. Full of twists, turns, or bends; winding.
    • The tortuous river carved a deep canyon over millions of years.
    • Driving on tortuous mountain roads requires patience and skill.
    • We followed a tortuous path through the dense forest.
  2. Excessively complicated, long, and indirect (used figuratively).
    • Her tortuous explanation only made the problem harder to understand.
    • The contract was filled with tortuous legal language that confused everyone.
    • The movie had a tortuous plot that jumped back and forth in time.