complicated

[kom-pli-key-tid]

adjective

1. composed of elaborately interconnected parts; complex.

   complicated apparatus for measuring brain functions.

2. difficult to analyze, understand, explain, etc..

   a complicated problem.

   Synonyms: knotty, tangled, involved

complicated

/ ˈkɒmplɪˌkeɪtɪd /

adjective

1. made up of intricate parts or aspects that are difficult to understand or analyse

Other Word Forms

• complicatedly adverb
• complicatedness noun
• uncomplicated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of complicated¹

First recorded in 1640–50; complicate + -ed ²

Example Sentences

While the company has become known for its online savvy, Reich explains that it’s not a complicated plan.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Ling Li, a modern slavery researcher who operates an anti-trafficking NGO, said the shadowy private rescue sector made her work freeing workers more "complicated".

Read more on Barron's

That has complicated the case for aggressive easing.

Read more on Barron's

The background to the case is complicated - so here we try and walk you through how we got here and the political impact.

Read more on BBC

But new evidence, and a widening probe into police misconduct, suggest the story is far more complicated.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arduous 
• convoluted 
• difficult 
• fancy 
• hard 
• intricate 
• knotty 
• perplexing 
• problematic 
• sophisticated 
• troublesome