complexion
Americannoun
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complexions
plural
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Explanation
Complexion refers to the color of a person's skin, especially the face. If you have light skin, for example, you might be said to have a fair or pale complexion. The general character of something can also be called its complexion. If your team's star quarterback is out with an injury, it will change the complexion of the next game and possibly the entire season. Complexion originally referred to the humors that in ancient Greek and Roman medicine supposedly made up a person's temperament and health. The word came from the Latin complexionem, or "combination," but as humorism fell out of favor, this definition of complexion also became obsolete.
Vocabulary lists containing complexion
Much Ado About Nothing
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Bronx Masquerade
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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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:
Seeing an Afro-Latina woman with a darker skin complexion achieve such a level of success was the representation I needed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
He immediately changed the complexion of the match, creating three attempts at the goal within five minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The result is still the same but Bethell ensured England's tournament ends with an entirely different complexion than what could have been.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026
The fund’s one-year daily chart is showing some nice technical action, and is taking little steps to improve its complexion.
From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026
The way one is good for advice about choosing the right college and another is good for advice about choosing the right shade of makeup to complement your complexion.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
It is turning out to be quite the month for trade deals of various complexions.
From BBC ● May 8, 2025
DEI has even forced the beauty industry, which has historically focused on products to suit Eurocentric complexions, to acknowledge that people of color buy makeup, too.
From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2025
While melanoma may be found less frequently in people with darker complexions than fair ones, this potentially serious form of cancer can strike anyone.
From Science Daily ● May 10, 2024
Germany’s 16 states, which have significant powers in many policy areas, have governments of many different political complexions.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 23, 2023
This is the part where I’m supposed to use food metaphors to describe everyone’s respective complexions.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
