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

The deal focuses on Memo’s experimental drug potravitug for the treatment of nephropathy associated with BK polyomavirus, a complication in kidney transplant recipients, Ipsen said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

The complication is that one child was given a property close to home, while another child was given a cabin several states away.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

Unanticipated complication: apparently, I don’t know how to talk in nice restaurants.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

In some cases, it can also lead to more severe complications including pneumonia and brain inflammation, which can lead to serious long-term impacts and death.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

The risk calculation changes for those at significantly higher risk of severe complications of cyclosporiasis, such as organ-transplant recipients, those undergoing chemotherapy or people with other immune disorders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

It was the back-to-back champions’ second visit in as many years, but this trip came with scheduling complications.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Patients who develop severe symptoms would often require careful monitoring in hospital, as complications can be lethal.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

A string of complications like this seemed common in the space program, at least it did in 1967 and 1968.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Related Words

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