complex

[kuhm-pleks, kom-pleks, kom-pleks]

adjective

1. composed of many interconnected parts; compound; composite.

   a complex highway system.

2. characterized by a very complicated or involved arrangement of parts, units, etc..

   complex machinery.

   Antonyms: simple

3. so complicated or intricate as to be hard to understand or deal with.

   a complex problem.

   Synonyms: labyrinthine, tangled, knotty
   Antonyms: simple

4. Grammar.

   1. (of a word) consisting of two parts, at least one of which is a bound form, as childish, which consists of the word child and the bound form -ish.

   2. complex sentence.

5. Mathematics.,  pertaining to or using complex numbers.

   complex methods; complex vector space.

noun

1. an intricate or complicated association or assemblage of related things, parts, units, etc..

   the entire complex of our educational system; an apartment complex.

   Synonyms: labyrinth, tangle, web, network

2. Psychology.,  a system of interrelated, emotion-charged ideas, feelings, memories, and impulses that is usually repressed and that gives rise to abnormal or pathological behavior.

3. a fixed idea; an obsessive notion.

4. Mathematics.

   1. an arbitrary set of elements of a group.

   2. a collection of simplexes having specified properties.

5. Also called coordination compound. Chemistry.,  a compound in which independently existing molecules or ions of a nonmetal complexing agent form coordinate bonds with a metal atom or ion.

6. Biochemistry.,  an entity composed of molecules in which the constituents maintain much of their chemical identity.

   receptor-hormone complex, enzyme-substrate complex.

verb (used with object)

1. Chemistry.,  to form a complex with.

verb (used without object)

1. Chemistry.,  to form a complex.

complex

/ ˈkɒmplɛks /

adjective

1. made up of various interconnected parts; composite

2. (of thoughts, writing, etc) intricate or involved

3. grammar

   1. (of a word) containing at least one bound form

   2. (of a noun phrase) containing both a lexical noun and an embedded clause, as for example the italicized parts of the following sentence: I didn't know the man who served me

   3. (of a sentence) formed by subordination of one clause to another

4. maths of or involving one or more complex numbers

noun

1. a whole made up of interconnected or related parts

   a building complex

2. psychoanal a group of emotional ideas or impulses that have been banished from the conscious mind but that continue to influence a person's behaviour

3. informal,  an obsession or excessive fear

   he's got a complex about cats

4. Also called: coordination compound. a chemical compound in which molecules, groups, or ions are attached to a central metal atom, esp a transition metal atom, by coordinate bonds

5. any chemical compound in which one molecule is linked to another by a coordinate bond

Usage

Complex is sometimes wrongly used where complicated is meant. Complex is properly used to say only that something consists of several parts. It should not be used to say that, because something consists of many parts, it is difficult to understand or analyse

Other Word Forms

• complexly adverb
• complexness noun
• overcomplex adjective
• quasi-complex adjective
• quasi-complexly adverb
• supercomplex adjective
• uncomplex adjective
• uncomplexly adverb
• uncomplexness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of complex¹

First recorded in 1645–55; 1905–10 complex for def. 7; adjective from Latin complexus, past participle of complectī, complectere “to embrace, encompass, include,” equivalent to complect- ( complect ) + -tus past participle suffix; noun from Late Latin complexus “totality, complex” ( Latin: “inclusion, grasping, embrace”), equivalent to complect(ere) + -tus suffix of verb action; reanalysis of the Latin verb as “to intertwine (completely)” influenced sense of the adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of complex¹

C17: from Latin complexus, from complectī to entwine, from com- together + plectere to braid

Example Sentences

"Operational control over the complex will be handed back to Barrick," the Toronto-based company said in a statement, adding that "all charges brought against Barrick, its affiliates and employees will be dropped".

Read more on Barron's

At the cellular scale, the way muscle tissue repairs itself becomes surprisingly complex.

Read more on Science Daily

There isn’t enough AI-related debt to directly cause a financial crisis, Berezin said, but financial markets are complex and trouble in one sector could indirectly hurt another.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Greystar, which manages dozens of apartment complexes in Southern California, has settled a lawsuit that alleges the property giant and other landlords colluded to keep rents artificially high.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The constabulary's complex is located in a highly secured area in Peshawar, and the attackers would have had to breach multiple levels of security to break in.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• complicated 
• convoluted 
• disturbing 
• intricate 
• obscure 
• perplexing 
• sophisticated