complicate
to make complex, intricate, involved, or difficult: His recovery from the operation was complicated by an allergic reaction.
complex; involved.
Entomology. folded longitudinally one or more times, as the wings of certain insects.
Origin of complicate
1Other 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use complicate in a sentence
Planning has been complicated because of uncertainty over the timing of FDA approval and the different dosage and storage requirements of prospective vaccines.
Top health official says states need about $6 billion from Congress to distribute coronavirus vaccine | Lena H. Sun | September 16, 2020 | Washington PostThis is all complicated by the fact that we’re still figuring out how best to combat the pandemic.
Why Coming Up With Effective Interventions To Address COVID-19 Is So Hard | Neil Lewis Jr. (nlewisjr@cornell.edu) | September 14, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightPutting purpose into law will simplify, not complicate, the running of businesses by aligning what the law wants them to do with the reason why they are created.
50 years later, Milton Friedman’s shareholder doctrine is dead | jakemeth | September 13, 2020 | FortuneShe believes statements by the city clerk and City Attorney Mara Elliott ahead of the primary declaring that a two-thirds vote would be required to pass the measure could complicate matters for Measure C supporters.
Politics Report: Forged Footnote 15 | Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts | September 12, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoRather, most of the officials trying to complicate the voting process are Republicans.
The Latest On Republican Efforts To Make It Harder To Vote | Perry Bacon Jr. (perry.bacon@fivethirtyeight.com) | September 9, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
But there was money on the line, which tends to complicate things.
The ambivalence is reflected in U.S. policy, which often has served to complicate aid delivery in conflict zones.
To complicate matters further, the only people who seemed to have any desire to go after Booker were of the conspiracy-theory ilk.
The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy | Olivia Nuzzi | October 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe attacks on the Khorasan Group also complicate U.S. efforts to partner with the more moderate opposition.
Al Qaeda Plotters in Syria ‘Went Dark,’ U.S. Spies Say | Eli Lake | September 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTwo menacing Fargo-esque figures show up to complicate things.
Viral Video of the Day: A Little 'Lebowski' Influence in Kahlua Ad | Alex Chancey | September 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt would be a mistake to still further complicate matters at this junction, he thought.
The Weight of the Crown | Fred M. WhiteThe existence of the theocratic element served further to complicate the machinery of government at Yedo.
Further to complicate the difficulty, Hercules found that as soon as he struck off one head, two others sprang up in its place.
Stories of Old Greece and Rome | Emilie Kip BakerNot to complicate the question, however, I have excluded all cases of nystagmus from the following investigation.
Schweigger on Squint | C. SchweiggerEvery fresh change, especially the introduction of war-chariots or of horse-soldiers, would further complicate the acies.
Battles of English History | H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George
British Dictionary definitions for complicate
to make or become complex
Origin of complicate
1Collins 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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