intricate
Americanadjective
-
having many interrelated parts or facets; entangled or involved.
an intricate maze.
- Synonyms:
- labyrinthine, tangled, knotty
-
complex; complicated; hard to understand, work, or make.
an intricate machine.
adjective
-
difficult to understand; obscure; complex; puzzling
-
entangled or involved
intricate patterns
Other Word Forms
- intricacy noun
- intricately adverb
- intricateness noun
- unintricate adjective
- unintricately adverb
- unintricateness noun
Etymology
Origin of intricate
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin intrīcātus “entangled,” past participle of intrīcāre “to entangle,” from in- in- 2 + trīc(ae) “perplexities” + -āre, infinitive verb suffix
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.
From her “controlled chaos” come intricate, ornate, one-of-a-kind necklaces, earrings, brooches and rings.
From Los Angeles Times
Magnetic confinement devices—whether the doughnut-shaped tokamaks used in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project or the linear configuration pursued by TAE—rely on intricate magnetic fields to hold the plasma together.
Anthony Gordon and Lewis Miley both fired wastefully high over the bar after intricate play to finally create some space inside the United box.
From Barron's
Though striking, clearly intricate and demanding to build, it’s about as sculpturally exciting as a Rubik’s Cube.
Verticillin A is notoriously hard to build because of its intricate chemical architecture.
From Science Daily
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.
