complicated

American  

[kom-pli-key-tid] / ˈkɒm plɪˌkeɪ tɪd /

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

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complicated British  

/ ˈkɒmplɪˌkeɪtɪd /

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

• complicatedly adverb
• complicatedness noun
• uncomplicated adjective

Etymology

Origin of complicated

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

Example Sentences

Art Acevedo, a former chief in Houston and Miami, said that for any big-city chief, taking an official position on an issue as divisive as immigration can be complicated.

From Los Angeles Times

That could make a significant difference for the likes of Bad Bunny -- but even then, Rivera-Rideau said, it's complicated.

From Barron's

She creates large casts of interesting, complicated characters.

From The Wall Street Journal

For a moment her face convulsed with shock, with hope, with something stranger and more complicated than both; and then she shook her head.

From Literature

A complicated love story told by one of Southern California’s literary giants?

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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