overcomplicated

adjective

over·​com·​pli·​cat·​ed ˌō-vər-ˈkäm-plə-ˌkā-təd How to pronounce overcomplicated (audio)
: complicated to an excessive degree : overly difficult to understand or explain
an overcomplicated system/plot
overcomplicated assembly instructions
The dishes were never overcomplicated, yet were subtly complex …Thomas Matthews
overcomplicate transitive verb
overcomplicated; overcomplicating
no need to overcomplicate the process
… just watch the ball and hit it and try not to overcomplicate things. Colin Munro

Examples of overcomplicated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As is increasingly common in our remorselessly overcomplicated age, the coverage of Hamas’s extraordinarily brutal incursion into the nation of Israel has been sliced and diced along a whole host of convoluted lines. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 10 Oct. 2023 So many series on TV right now are overlong, overserious, overcomplicated and overly dull. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 28 June 2023 Last year its groundbreaking Tonda Rattrapante GMT brought minimalism to the often overcomplicated complication of two time zones, via a hidden second hour hand, revealed by a push of a button. Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 18 June 2023 Directors Joe Robert Cole, Amanda Marsalis, and Steven Canals craft separate aesthetics that situate the viewer in each timeline, avoiding the confusion that can come with overcomplicated thrillers. Alison Herman, Variety, 10 May 2023 Woods said most people who come to the Citizens Advice office are struggling with debt and energy bills or need help navigating the overcomplicated system of welfare benefits. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 2 May 2023 But Tetris, which streams March 31 on AppleTV+, devolves into a breathless mishmash of gimmicks and contrived twists, becoming simultaneously underwhelming and overcomplicated. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2023 As a digital transformation leader, my aim is to simplify the overcomplicated IT landscape. Osborn Gomes, Forbes, 16 May 2022 An overcomplicated skin-care routine not only takes up valuable bathroom real estate but can also result in irritation when certain ingredients don’t interact well (like retinoids and vitamin C, for example). Kerstin Czarra, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overcomplicated.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overcomplicated was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near overcomplicated

Cite this Entry

“Overcomplicated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overcomplicated. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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