complicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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complicates,
present (3rd person singular)
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complicated,
past participle, past
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complicating
present participle
adjective
-
complex; involved.
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Entomology. folded longitudinally one or more times, as the wings of certain insects.
verb
adjective
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biology folded on itself
a complicate leaf
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a less common word for complicated
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overcomplicateverb (used with object)
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precomplicateverb (used with object)
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recomplicateverb (used with object)
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uncomplicateverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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complicatesimple
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complicatessimple
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have complicatedperfect
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has complicatedperfect
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am complicatingprogressive
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are complicatingprogressive
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is complicatingprogressive
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have been complicatingperfect progressive
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has been complicatingperfect progressive
Past
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complicatedsimple
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had complicatedperfect
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was complicatingprogressive
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were complicatingprogressive
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had been complicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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 -ate 1
Explanation
To complicate things is to make them more complex, confusing, or difficult. So if you've already accepted two party invitations for Saturday night, don't complicate the situation by accepting a third. This verb dates back to the 17th century, when it meant “to intertwine” or “to fold together." This intertwining and folding together, however, sometimes don't work out so well. An infection can complicate an injury. A detour for road construction will complicate your usual route. And directions that are written in another language — and without pictures — complicate the assembly of furniture and toys.
Vocabulary lists containing complicate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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"What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?" Vocabulary from the short story
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 4
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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:
Rules governing how lawful information gets recommended or delivered can raise real constitutional questions—even granting that minors’ rights and parental authority complicate the picture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
“At this point, launching a second investigation could complicate a process already in place.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
"That hostility would not necessarily restore the Islamic republic's legitimacy, but it could complicate future relations long after the present leadership has changed."
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
With Youssef Chermiti being taken off on a stretcher on the day it was revealed Rangers had rejected a big-money offer for the striker, that may complicate matters further.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
“To complicate matters, Aurora has a torn wing that must soon be mended if we are to continue,” Ares added.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
The declining value of the yen complicates things, but the bottom line is that there is a change afoot in the global flow of money.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Stepping back from a lucrative and rewarding career can be difficult to recover from financially, and parenthood further complicates that choice.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
His unpredictability complicates Prime Minister Mark Carney’s negotiating stance, but he also provides a useful foil, a kind of bad cop for which Carney can offer his more measured good cop approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
This allowed the team to remove much of the environmental variation that complicates cancer studies involving humans.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
My mother also dated his brother, which complicates the situation.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
"Lara is a very complicated character with a lot of nuance. So yes, we've adapted and changed some of the lines, but we didn't go as far to change the story," Siqueira said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Switching from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare, however, can be complicated and expensive.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have now identified evidence for two unexpected structures that may help clarify part of this increasingly complicated particle landscape.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
GS: Entering into a professional relationship with a friend can be inspiring and fulfilling, but also complicated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Using a form of X-rays called radiographs, Price determined that the device contained at least twenty-seven gears—more complicated than had at first been believed.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Supply-chain constraints with memory chips and Apple’s custom silicon are further complicating Apple’s roadmap.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
For girls, however, there is an additional complicating layer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The data-center backlash is complicating the picture for power plant owners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Iran set preconditions on Saturday for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, including compensation for war damages, complicating a potential deal to open the waterway essential to the world economy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
But the girl and her little entourage showed up, complicating things.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions 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.
