noun
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the state or quality of being intricate or complex
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something intricate or complex; complication
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of complexity
Explanation
Is the movie simple or does it have lots of plot twists and intricate relationships between characters? If the latter is true, the movie's complexity makes it hard to understand. When you see the word complexity, think of something with a lot of pieces, something not easy to put into words or understand. Things that can have complexity include: the events leading up to the American Civil War, a broth made with many ingredients, your relationship with your parents. Complexity is the opposite of simplicity. When something has a lot of complexity, you say it is complex. When it has very little complexity, it is simple.
Vocabulary lists containing complexity
List 2
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Nothing But the Truth
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"Why Read Shakespeare?" Vocabulary from the argument
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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.
Panko worries most about the complexity of products like IUL getting in the way of their usefulness.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
Because of this complexity, anti-aging researchers are increasingly moving away from strategies that attempt to eliminate all senescent cells.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
“There’s a very different system when you’re building HR and finance for Fortune 500 companies with global complexity, international rules,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
The gains have come despite increasing complexity with supply chain overhangs from the pandemic, changing environmental regulations, and the AI craze.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
Modern physics and chemistry have reduced the complexity of the sensible world to an astonishing simplicity: three units put together in various patterns make, essentially, everything.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
