complication

American  

[kom-pli-kay-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

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Etymology

Origin of complication

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

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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

Novartis shelves a study for Fabhalta in patients with a serious kidney-disease complication, adding to a growing list of clinical setbacks.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

My main concern: The one complication is that I have some reservations about the long-term stability of my younger son’s marriage.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

“This is a well known complication of using nitrous oxide,” Schwarz said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The 2025 analysis also emphasized an important complication.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Or is she thinking about herself, not wanting to worry about two sons at once, and not wanting the complication of Vincent?

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

A third of Scots are classified as obese, which can lead to serious health complications including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

It was not clear what would happen should there be serious complications during the operation.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Sterling Hayden’s Johnny Clay, having endured all manner of complications, watches helplessly as a suitcase full of stolen money spills off a luggage cart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Chronic diabetic ulcers are among the most difficult complications facing modern healthcare.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

“But the Germans added new procedures, new complications, just as they launched their attack in Western Europe. Now we’re shut out again.”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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Related Words

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

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