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

• complicatedness noun
• complicatedly adverb
• uncomplicated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of complicated¹

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

Example Sentences

She describes her feelings as grounded in “warmth and loyalty,” complicated by “hurt and disappointment,” and recounts how she was sidelined with what Emhoff called “impossible, sh*t jobs.”

From Salon

Arrell, for example, found some aspects of the games too complicated for her students, particularly mazes and maps that included obstacles to navigate.

From Los Angeles Times

But there are complicated questions to answer, including what is Palestine and is there even a state to recognise?

From BBC

His condition was complicated by pneumonia, his agent said.

From BBC

"Every choice she makes is because she's just trying to help people, and it's messy and it's complicated. But her heart's in the right place. She probably just needs to see a therapist!"

From BBC

Related Words

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