Meaning & use
complicated
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Made up of many parts or details that fit together in a way that is hard to follow or deal with.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a complicated plan, the plan is complicated.
Patterns
- complicated to do something
- complicated by something
The tax form was so complicated that I asked an accountant for help.
It is a complicated machine with hundreds of tiny moving parts.
The rules of the game sound complicated, but you pick them up quickly.
adjectivecomparableinformal
Full of difficulties or mixed feelings, so that a situation or relationship is not simple to sort out.
Grammar: Often follows a linking verb when talking about people: their relationship is complicated.
Patterns
- it is complicated
- complicated by something
My feelings about moving abroad are complicated.
Their friendship is complicated, since they work for rival firms.
The matter became more complicated when a second claim appeared.
adjectivebefore a nounmedicaltechnical
Describing a medical condition that has developed extra problems beyond the main illness.
Grammar: Appears mostly before a noun in medical writing: a complicated fracture.
The doctor said it was a complicated fracture and would need surgery.
A complicated pregnancy needs closer monitoring than usual.
Word forms
| comparative | more complicated |
|---|---|
| superlative | most complicated |
Common combinations
- a complicated situation
- The border dispute is a complicated situation with no easy fix.
- surprisingly complicated
- Setting up the printer was surprisingly complicated.
- overly complicated
- The instructions are overly complicated for such a simple task.
- a complicated relationship
- She has a complicated relationship with her hometown.
- far more complicated
- Booking a visa turned out to be far more complicated than I expected.
- make things complicated
- Please don't make things complicated by adding extra steps.
Synonyms and how they differ
- complex
- Complex describes something with many linked parts and is often neutral or admiring, while complicated usually hints that the thing is annoying to understand.
- intricate
- Intricate stresses fine, detailed workmanship, so it suits patterns and designs rather than frustrating problems.
- convoluted
- Convoluted is more negative, suggesting twisting, roundabout logic that is needlessly hard to follow.
- involved
- Involved describes a process needing many steps and time, and it sounds milder and more conversational than complicated.
Opposites
Word family
- complicate verb
- to make something harder to deal with
- complication noun
- a factor that makes a situation harder, or a new medical problem
- complicatedly adverb
- in a complicated way, but rarely used
- uncomplicated adjective
- simple and without difficulties
Commonly confused: complicated or complex?
complicated vs complex
Complex is often neutral and describes systems with many parts, like an ecosystem. Complicated tends to suggest difficulty or frustration.
Practice
The refund process was so ____ that I needed three forms, two phone calls and a letter.
Choose one answer.
Complicated means hard to deal with because of many steps. Compliant means following rules, complimentary means free or praising, and comfortable does not suit a frustrating process.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “complicated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.