complexion
Americannoun
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the natural color, texture, and appearance of the skin, especially of the face.
a clear, smooth, rosy complexion.
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appearance; aspect; character.
His confession put a different complexion on things.
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viewpoint, attitude, or conviction.
one's political complexion.
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(in old physiology) constitution or nature of body and mind, regarded as the result of certain combined qualities.
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Obsolete. nature; disposition; temperament.
noun
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the colour and general appearance of a person's skin, esp of the face
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aspect, character, or nature
the general complexion of a nation's finances
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obsolete
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the temperament of a person
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the temperature and general appearance of the body
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of complexion
1300–50; Middle English < Medieval Latin complexiōn- (stem of complexiō ) constitution, temperament, Latin: combination, group, literally, the act of embracing. See complex, -ion
Explanation
Complexion refers to the color of a person's skin, especially the face. If you have light skin, for example, you might be said to have a fair or pale complexion. The general character of something can also be called its complexion. If your team's star quarterback is out with an injury, it will change the complexion of the next game and possibly the entire season. Complexion originally referred to the humors that in ancient Greek and Roman medicine supposedly made up a person's temperament and health. The word came from the Latin complexionem, or "combination," but as humorism fell out of favor, this definition of complexion also became obsolete.
Vocabulary lists containing complexion
Much Ado About Nothing
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Bronx Masquerade
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bullard wrote a book, “The Wrong Complexion for Protection” in 2012 with another environmental and climate justice expert, Beverly Wright, about how federal responses to disasters often exclude black communities.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2022
I use a little bit of concealer, mascara and then Complexion Rescue by BareMinerals.
From New York Times • Oct. 2, 2018
Complexion in Shakespeare’s time was a measurement of both beauty and virtue.
From Slate • Nov. 11, 2015
Complexion, previous skin diseases or a predisposition to shingles or other allergens apparently have nothing to do with the sensitivity to adhesive plaster found in one out of every hundred normal men, women & children.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Inhabitants are of a Fresh Complexion, and not much troubled with Coughs; which is strange, they having so much Water about 'em.
From The Strange Adventures of Captain Dangerous, Vol. 3 Who was a sailor, a soldier, a merchant, a spy, a slave among the moors... by Sala, George Augustus
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
