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complicate

[ verb kom-pli-keyt; adjective kom-pli-kit ]
/ verb ˈkɒm plɪˌkeɪt; adjective ˈkɒm plɪ kɪt /
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See synonyms for: complicate / complicated / complicates / complicating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), com·pli·cat·ed, com·pli·cat·ing.
to make complex, intricate, involved, or difficult: His recovery from the operation was complicated by an allergic reaction.
adjective
complex; involved.
Entomology. folded longitudinally one or more times, as the wings of certain insects.
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Origin of complicate

1615–25; <Latin complicātus (past participle of complicāre to fold together), equivalent to com-com- + -plic- (combining form of *plecāre to fold, akin to plectī to plait; see complex) + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM complicate

o·ver·com·pli·cate, verb (used with object), o·ver·com·pli·cat·ed, o·ver·com·pli·cat·ing.pre·com·pli·cate, verb (used with object), pre·com·pli·cat·ed, pre·com·pli·cat·ing.re·com·pli·cate, verb (used with object), re·com·pli·cat·ed, re·com·pli·cat·ing.un·com·pli·cate, verb (used with object), un·com·pli·cat·ed, un·com·pli·cat·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use complicate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for complicate

complicate

verb (ˈkɒmplɪˌkeɪt)
to make or become complex
adjective (ˈkɒmplɪkɪt)
biology folded on itselfa complicate leaf
a less common word for complicated

Word Origin for complicate

C17: from Latin complicāre to fold together, from plicāre to fold
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
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