adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of complicated
First recorded in 1640–50; complicate + -ed 2
Explanation
When things get complicated, they are no longer simple and straightforward. If you are asked a question that would require a long, detailed answer, you might just say, "It's complicated." The word complicated came about in the 1640's to mean "tangled" or "difficult to unravel." This makes sense, considering it came from the Latin verb complicāre, meaning "to fold together." Consider that something with many folds is more complicated than something flat. Novelist Robert Ludlum said, "Life is extremely complicated," but Confucius long ago suggested that "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." Just having those two opposing viewpoints indicates how complicated life can be.
Vocabulary lists containing complicated
Schooled
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Twelve Angry Men
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"Sorry, Wrong Number," Vocabulary from the play
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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.
Data centers and AI have been getting the blame, but the reality is more complicated.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
Because electric motors often operate at high temperatures, thermal effects can also partially demagnetize these materials, making the energy loss problem even more complicated.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
The answer, as with many things, is a bit complicated.
From Slate • May 16, 2026
In the rapprochement that followed, the U.S. dispatched hundreds of American troops to train Nigerian forces, including in the complicated tactics of coordinated air-and-infantry operations.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
I am not working through a complicated set of calculations.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
