complexity

[kuh m-plek-si-tee]

See more synonyms for complexity on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural com·plex·i·ties for 2.

the state or quality of being complex; intricacy: the complexity of urban life.
something complex: the complexities of foreign policy.

Origin of complexity

First recorded in 1715–25; complex + -ity

Related formsin·ter·com·plex·i·ty, noun, plural in·ter·com·plex·i·ties.o·ver·com·plex·i·ty, nounsu·per·com·plex·i·ty, noun, plural su·per·com·plex·i·ties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for complexities

intricacy, complication, ramification, entanglement, multiplicity, elaboration, involvement, convolution

Examples from the Web for complexities

Contemporary Examples of complexities

He studied the complexities of the English language and the perplexities of religious faith.
Why George Carlin Deserves His Own Street
Kevin Bartini
October 21, 2014
That there is some truth in these beliefs on both sides adds to the complexities.
Don’t Accuse Israel of Apartheid
Benjamin Pogrund
July 17, 2014
None of these issues are being discussed in American society with attention to their complexities.
Why These Marines Love ‘Frozen’—and Why It Matters
Aaron B. O’Connell
June 27, 2014
Olson and Taylor-Johnson have alluded to some of the complexities in the Scarlet Witch/Quicksilver relationship.
A Guide to Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the Twins Teased at the End of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’
Rich Goldstein
April 5, 2014
The complexities within that religious order, renowned for its scholars and loyalty to the pope, make for a numbing leitmotif.
How the Catholic Church Got in Bed with Mussolini
Jason Berry
February 5, 2014

Historical Examples of complexities

Was there one among them with an idea of the future of Ireland, of the complexities of government?
Changing Winds
St. John G. Ervine
He would think in complexities unimaginable to an earlier mind.
The Education of Henry Adams
Henry Adams
Awareness of possibilities is more direct than that of complexities.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
The complexities of the subject are too great to permit of dogmatism.
The Settlement of Wage Disputes
Herbert Feis
I began to suspect that life in Lattimore would not be without its complexities.
Aladdin & Co.
Herbert Quick

British Dictionary definitions for complexities

complexity

noun plural -ties

the state or quality of being intricate or complex
something intricate or complex; complication

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for complexities

complexity

1721, "composite nature," from complex (adj.) + -ity. Meaning "intricacy" is from 1790. Meaning "a complex condition" is from 1794.