complicate

[kom-pli-keyt, kom-pli-kit]

verb (used with object)

complicated, complicating 

1. to make complex, intricate, involved, or difficult.

   His recovery from the operation was complicated by an allergic reaction.

adjective

1. complex; involved.

2. Entomology.,  folded longitudinally one or more times, as the wings of certain insects.

complicate

verb

1. to make or become complex

adjective

1. biology folded on itself

   a complicate leaf

2. a less common word for complicated

Other Word Forms

• overcomplicate verb (used with object)
• precomplicate verb (used with object)
• recomplicate verb (used with object)
• uncomplicate verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of complicate¹

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; complex ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of complicate¹

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

Example Sentences

Let's park the usual excuses - "commercial reality", "revenue difference", "it's complicated".

Read more on BBC

Good data matter more than ever in a complicated world, and the U.S. is falling behind.

Read more on Barron's

The sport felt "fast and complicated", but she kept returning.

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It can all seem so flawless in that golden moment before the guests arrive, though the presence of actual people quickly complicates any Thanksgiving tableau.

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Recent developments overseas have the potential to complicate the White House’s agenda to bring down borrowing costs, while heightening competition for investors in the U.S. and Japanese bond markets.

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Related Words

• convolute 
• impede 
• involve 
• muddle 
• obscure 
• perplex 
• upset