complicate

[ verb kom-pli-keyt; adjective kom-pli-kit ]

/ verb ˈkɒm plɪˌkeɪt; adjective ˈkɒm plɪ kɪt /

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See synonyms for: complicate / complicated / complicates / complicating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), com·pli·cat·ed, com·pli·cat·ing.

to make complex, intricate, involved, or difficult: His recovery from the operation was complicated by an allergic reaction.

adjective

complex; involved.

Entomology. folded longitudinally one or more times, as the wings of certain insects.

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Origin of complicate

1615–25; <Latin complicātus (past participle of complicāre to fold together), equivalent to com-com- + -plic- (combining form of *plecāre to fold, akin to plectī to plait; see complex) + -ātus-ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM complicate

o·ver·com·pli·cate, verb (used with object), o·ver·com·pli·cat·ed, o·ver·com·pli·cat·ing.pre·com·pli·cate, verb (used with object), pre·com·pli·cat·ed, pre·com·pli·cat·ing.re·com·pli·cate, verb (used with object), re·com·pli·cat·ed, re·com·pli·cat·ing.un·com·pli·cate, verb (used with object), un·com·pli·cat·ed, un·com·pli·cat·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use complicate in a sentence

From that vantage point, the story of how polls did in 2020 is complicated — more complicated in some ways than in 2016, which was also complicated.
The Polls Weren’t Great. But That’s Pretty Normal.|Nate Silver (nrsilver@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The extra zoom is nice, but it also complicates things when it comes to image quality.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max might be worth it—for the camera alone|Stan Horaczek|November 10, 2020|Popular-Science
One drawback of RNA vaccines is that they need to be kept at ultra-cold temperatures, complicating their distribution.
Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine is highly effective, but don’t expect to get it soon|David Rotman|November 9, 2020|MIT Technology Review
It complicates the case that a candidate has the authority to carry out a policy or worldview given by the electorate when most of those in the electorate have voted against them.
What’s the mandate for the next president? It’s harder than it’s ever been to answer that.|Eugene Scott|November 6, 2020|Washington Post

However, a series of federal decisions and court cases starting in the early 2000s complicated their recovery.
Gray wolves are leaving the endangered species list. But should they?|Ula Chrobak|November 5, 2020|Popular-Science

British Dictionary definitions for complicate

complicate

verb (ˈkɒmplɪˌkeɪt)

to make or become complex

adjective (ˈkɒmplɪkɪt)

biology folded on itselfa complicate leaf

a less common word for complicated

Word Origin for complicate

C17: from Latin complicāre to fold together, from plicāre to fold

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

complicate

Origin of complicate

OTHER WORDS FROM complicate

Words related to complicate

How to use complicate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for complicate

Word Origin for complicate