complication

American  

[kom-pli-key-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

"Jenitar has taken everything in her stride from day one... she has somehow dodged every complication and risk for both herself and her babies," Bendall said.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Lambers Heerspink said, "In the finerenone group, 13.9 percent experienced such a complication, compared to 16.9 percent in the placebo group. That amounts to a reduction in risk of approximately 23 percent."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

The episode is, on its surface, a procedural complication.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

The complication is that one child was given a property close to home, while another child was given a cabin several states away.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

“Your cut is a good straight one, with little chance of complication, but there is not much to you.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

In some cases, it can also lead to more severe complications including pneumonia and brain inflammation, which can lead to serious long-term impacts and death.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

The risk calculation changes for those at significantly higher risk of severe complications of cyclosporiasis, such as organ-transplant recipients, those undergoing chemotherapy or people with other immune disorders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

When it develops at a younger age, the disease tends to be more aggressive, raising the risk of devastating complications and cutting lives short, according to Diabetes UK.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat that can increase the risk of stroke and other complications.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Even without such complications, normal agricultural use subjects fish to far heavier concentrations of chemicals than would be required to kill them.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

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