noun
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the state or quality of being intricate or complex
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something intricate or complex; complication
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of complexity
Explanation
Is the movie simple or does it have lots of plot twists and intricate relationships between characters? If the latter is true, the movie's complexity makes it hard to understand. When you see the word complexity, think of something with a lot of pieces, something not easy to put into words or understand. Things that can have complexity include: the events leading up to the American Civil War, a broth made with many ingredients, your relationship with your parents. Complexity is the opposite of simplicity. When something has a lot of complexity, you say it is complex. When it has very little complexity, it is simple.
Vocabulary lists containing complexity
List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
These additional steps require time and equipment, and the complexity becomes increasingly significant as the number of qubits grows.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
We are covering the story with all the complexity of an electorate that is spread out along the political spectrum.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
“At the CFO level specifically, the defining trait is decisiveness under ambiguity. CFOs navigate constant complexity and gray areas,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
This comes after criticism of the new engines introduced this year for their complexity and the way their design and operation has diminished the driving challenge of some of F1's best corners.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Just as the complexity of the mess Fve dragged everybody into begins to overload my brain, a distant chain of explosions sends a tremor through the room.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
But the complexities of the situation mean the sport remains in limbo, and the races are going ahead as a default position.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
But he assigned “big error bars” to that possibility, given the complexities of standing up new chip production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Unusually, Turkey must navigate these complexities with Australia, a major fossil fuel exporter, after both countries agreed to share COP31 duties following a bruising hosting battle.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Those cases point to complexities in the Muse settings that confound experts, let alone laypersons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Dunbar’s argument is that brains evolve, they get bigger, in order to handle the complexities of larger social groups.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
