complicate
[ verb kom-pli-keyt; adjective kom-pli-kit ]
/ verb ˈkɒm plɪˌkeɪt; adjective ˈkɒm plɪ kɪt /
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
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.Words nearby complicate
compliance, compliance officer, compliancy, compliant, complicacy, complicate, complicated, complication, complice, complicit, complicity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for complicate
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
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