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
- complexional adjective
- complexionally adverb
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
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.
The pattern of mishaps continued at the start of run two but the competition changed complexion when Ferreira posted 90.50 to set a new standard.
From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026
"I definitely saw a difference in my skin complexion and felt like I needed to keep up with it, because if I stopped, I would revert back to my original skin complexion," he said.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
Matches come so quickly that the entire complexion of the title race can change in a matter of days.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
“Again, this has not happened yet, but it’s a scenario we need to stay alert to, as a confirmed breakdown would clearly shift the market’s complexion in a meaningful way,” Cappelleri wrote.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 19, 2025
She was Nepali and had a dark complexion that most people mistook for Indian or Pakistani but was impossible to confuse with Scottish.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
