complication

American  

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

noun

1. the act of complicating.

2. a complicated 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

• complicative adjective
• precomplication noun
• recomplication noun

Etymology

Origin of complication

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

Example Sentences

The report finds that these visiting restrictions had a "devastating impact" on bereaved family members, as well as mothers who had to receive difficult news about pregnancy complications alone.

From BBC

Currently, no medications exist to prevent or treat this complication, which affects up to 15% of patients after surgery.

From Science Daily

Of course, there’s another complication: The Federal Open Market Committee, which is the central bank’s rate-setting committee, elects its own chair and vice chair each year.

From Barron's

Side-effects can include nausea, vomiting and digestive problems; rarer complications include gallstones or pancreatitis.

From BBC

Meningitis can sometimes occur as a complication of some of these infections.

From BBC

Related Words

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