complication

American  

[kom-pli-kay-shuhn] / ˌkɒm plɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• complications
  plural

1. the act of complicating.

2. a complicated or involved state or condition.

3. a complex combination of elements or things.

4. something that introduces, usually unexpectedly, some difficulty, problem, change, etc..

   Because of the complications involved in traveling during the strike, we decided to postpone our trip.

   Synonyms:

   obstacle, handicap, drawback

5. Pathology. a concurrent disease, accident, or adverse reaction that aggravates the original disease.

6. the act of forming a unified idea or impression from a number of sense data, memories, etc.

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complication British  

/ ˌkɒmplɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. a condition, event, etc, that is complex or confused

2. the act or process of complicating

3. a situation, event, or condition that complicates or frustrates

   her coming was a serious complication

4. a disease or disorder arising as a consequence of another disease

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• precomplication
  noun
• recomplication
  noun
• complicative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• complications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of complication

1605–15; < Late Latin complicātīon- (stem of complicātiō ), equivalent to complicāt ( us ) ( see complicate) + -īon- -ion

Explanation

A complication is a difficult circumstance or a confused condition, like the complication you cause when you invite a dozen strangers to Thanksgiving dinner. Complications can range from the one your teacher faces when you lose your pet snake in the classroom to the complications that occur during surgery, making recovery more difficult. The plot of your favorite book probably involves several complications for the characters, events or situations that make the ending uncertain or create a dilemma. Complication comes from the Latin complicāre, "to fold together," which makes sense since something with many folds is more complicated than something that's flat.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

complication complications

Removing the pilot would have added the cost and complication of certifying a robot jet to fly fast over urban areas.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

There was also another complication for consumers expecting professionally carved chocolate: Packaging included in the court’s opinion labels the jack-o’-lantern image a “DECORATING SUGGESTION.”

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

The Mifflin County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday said an 18-year-old resident died due to a rare neurological complication from measles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Brendan Greeley’s “The Almighty Dollar,” published in May, highlights another complication.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Lavender was waiting beside the portrait hole, a complication Harry had not foreseen.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Gingerly making his way over rapids on unstable-looking logs, fighting off predators, and dealing with other hair-raising complications, Belmont painstakingly makes progress with no prospect of anyone coming to help.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

The majority of patients who spoke to the BBC about problems with their blephs had been to the company's clinics - but we do not know how many complications in total have occurred at Faceland.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

McDonald’s last month said too many promotions at once — along with changes to its McValue discount platform — led to complications for restaurant workers and questions from customers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

After experiencing complications from her earlier knee replacement surgery, she says she was eager to try GAE and is glad she did.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

We had a meeting where the psychologist asked if there had been any complications while I was pregnant with Maribel.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

Related Words

• complexity
• confusion
• difficulty
• obstacle
• problem
• snag