noun
-
the state or quality of being intricate or complex
-
something intricate or complex; complication
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Nothing But the Truth
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Why Read Shakespeare?" Vocabulary from the argument
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
When a business passes to a fourth or fifth generation, as at Brown-Forman, the complexity grows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Puerto’s essay also reflects the complexity of an experience like hers.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
And the complexity of the Harry and Meghan story is requiring endurance on all sides.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The review covered hundreds of species on the IUCN's "red list" -- icons like staghorn and table corals whose mineral skeletons give reefs their dazzling three-dimensional complexity.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
And now that she was doing something difficult and familiar and never quite predictable, namely lying, she felt a sort of mastery again, the same sense of complexity and control that the alethiometer gave her.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Siblings, for all their relationship complexities, usually have deep experience arguing and making up, which has built trust.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Unusually, Turkey must navigate these complexities with Australia, a major fossil fuel exporter, after both countries agreed to share COP31 duties following a bruising hosting battle.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Those cases point to complexities in the Muse settings that confound experts, let alone laypersons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
But, as ever in this case, the complexities indicate this is not straightforward.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Humans socialize in the largest groups of all primates because we are the only animals with brains large enough to handle the complexities of that social arrangement.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
