- past participle of complicate.
- past tense form of complicate.
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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"Sorry, Wrong Number," Vocabulary from the play
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Excerpts from "To Kill a Mockingbird"
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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.
With 19 policymakers, it is difficult to make progress given diverse individual perspectives, strongly held views and the challenge of reforming such a complicated beast.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
His sentences are complicated, lyrical and hauntingly abrupt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Although black holes are often portrayed as cosmic vacuum cleaners that swallow anything nearby, their feeding behavior is far more complicated.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
An agreement is said to be complicated but Spanish side Getafe, who are 14th in La Liga and playing in the Europa Conference League this season, are keen to find a resolution.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
What’s strange and complicated about it, however, is that pretty much all the important people on both sides of the gamble left the table rich.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
