complication

American  

[kom-pli-key-shuhn] / ˌkɒm plɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• complications
  plural

1. the act of complicating.

2. a complicated or involved state or condition.

3. a complex combination of elements or things.

4. something that introduces, usually unexpectedly, some difficulty, problem, change, etc..

   Because of the complications involved in traveling during the strike, we decided to postpone our trip.

   Synonyms:

   obstacle, handicap, drawback

5. Pathology. a concurrent disease, accident, or adverse reaction that aggravates the original disease.

6. the act of forming a unified idea or impression from a number of sense data, memories, etc.

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complication British  

/ ˌkɒmplɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. a condition, event, etc, that is complex or confused

2. the act or process of complicating

3. a situation, event, or condition that complicates or frustrates

   her coming was a serious complication

4. a disease or disorder arising as a consequence of another disease

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• precomplication
  noun
• recomplication
  noun
• complicative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• complications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of complication

1605–15; < Late Latin complicātīon- (stem of complicātiō ), equivalent to complicāt ( us ) ( see complicate) + -īon- -ion

Explanation

A complication is a difficult circumstance or a confused condition, like the complication you cause when you invite a dozen strangers to Thanksgiving dinner. Complications can range from the one your teacher faces when you lose your pet snake in the classroom to the complications that occur during surgery, making recovery more difficult. The plot of your favorite book probably involves several complications for the characters, events or situations that make the ending uncertain or create a dilemma. Complication comes from the Latin complicāre, "to fold together," which makes sense since something with many folds is more complicated than something that's flat.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

complication complications

Lambers Heerspink said, "In the finerenone group, 13.9 percent experienced such a complication, compared to 16.9 percent in the placebo group. That amounts to a reduction in risk of approximately 23 percent."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

Many people have been put off that idea owing to the perceived complication of wages being paid into that account, and direct debits and the like needing to be moved.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The episode is, on its surface, a procedural complication.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

County in September reported the death of a school-age child from a complication of measles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

But he did not want the complication of marrying her for his papers; one day she would wake up and convince herself that it had never been merely for papers.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Otherwise, it could cause complications if — in a worst-case scenario — the house burned down or the roof blew off in a storm.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Representatives for Katsis confirmed his death on Thursday in Los Angeles, from complications of congestive heart failure, in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

A senior Lebanese official said the strikes added awkward complications to the seventh round of U.S.-brokered talks between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats in Rome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Alongside the risk of dehydration and heatstroke, a bout of extreme heat raises the chances of complications from chronic conditions like advanced heart, kidney and respiratory failure.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

I would not presume to tell you what to do, but I believe it is your duty to come, in case of any complications that might occur...

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• complexity
• confusion
• difficulty
• obstacle
• problem
• snag