intricate

[in-tri-kit]

adjective

having many interrelated parts or facets; entangled or involved: an intricate maze.

complex; complicated; hard to understand, work, or make: an intricate machine.

Origin of intricate

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin intrīcātus, past participle of intrīcāre to entangle, equivalent to in- in-² + trīc(ae) perplexities + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsin·tri·cate·ly, adverbin·tri·cate·ness, nounun·in·tri·cate, adjectiveun·in·tri·cate·ly, adverbun·in·tri·cate·ness, noun

Synonyms for intricate

1. knotty, tangled, labyrinthine.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for intricately

Contemporary Examples of intricately

Saudi society and government are intricately intertwined with a puritanical flavor of Islam, Wahhabism.
Will Saudi Arabia Execute Guest Workers for 'Witchcraft'?
Michael Schulson
March 29, 2014
Film was an outlet, and the intricately crafted pieces—regardless of who made them—told their own stories.
Barbara Tfank: The Red Carpet Radical
Erin Cunningham
March 2, 2014
Outfits have become so intricately planned—and more times than not, without considering the actress and her role.
Barbara Tfank: The Red Carpet Radical
Erin Cunningham
March 2, 2014
His runways are always filled with intricately tailored separates, soft gowns, and lush fabrics.
Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, & Calvin Klein New York Fashion Week
Erin Cunningham
February 14, 2014
The solution, said Schmidt and Bitonti, was to design thousands of intricately woven joints.
The World’s Most Innovative Dress
Tricia Romano
March 25, 2013

Historical Examples of intricately

Don Loris drummed on the arm of his intricately carved chair.
The Pirates of Ersatz
Murray Leinster
He leaned towards her and found that she was intricately caught in the rose.
Adrienne Toner
Anne Douglas Sedgwick
The walls were divided into panels, with borders broad and intricately arabesqued.
The Fair God
Lew Wallace
The instinct for reproduction is intricately involved in the struggle for existence.
The Women of Tomorrow
William Hard
It was intricately and wisely designed; its God must be omniscient.
Some Christian Convictions
Henry Sloane Coffin

British Dictionary definitions for intricately

intricate

adjective

difficult to understand; obscure; complex; puzzling

entangled or involvedintricate patterns

Derived Formsintricacy or intricateness, nounintricately, adverb

Word Origin for intricate

C15: from Latin intrīcāre to entangle, perplex, from in- ² + trīcae trifles, perplexities

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for intricately

intricate

adj.

early 15c., from Latin intricatus "entangled," past participle of intricare "to entangle, perplex, embarrass," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + tricae (plural) "perplexities, hindrances, toys, tricks," of uncertain origin (cf. extricate). Related: Intricately.