complicated

adjective

com·​pli·​cat·​ed ˈkäm-plə-ˌkā-təd 

1

: consisting of parts intricately combined

a complicated recipe

complicated machinery

2

: difficult to analyze, understand, or explain

a complicated issue

his absurdly complicated life

complicatedly adverb

complicatedness noun

Synonyms

• baroque
• byzantine
• complex
• complicate
• convoluted
• daedal
• elaborate
• intricate
• involute
• involved
• knotty
• labyrinthian
• labyrinthine
• sophisticated
• tangled

Choose the Right Synonym for complicated

complex, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty mean having confusingly interrelated parts.

complex suggests the unavoidable result of a necessary combining and does not imply a fault or failure.

a complex recipe

complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining.

complicated legal procedures

intricate suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately.

an intricate web of deceit

involved implies extreme complication and often disorder.

a rambling, involved explanation

knotty suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable.

knotty ethical questions

Examples of complicated in a Sentence

The game's rules are too complicated.

The machine has a complicated design.

Recent Examples on the Web

Board replaces him immediately Fixing the ‘slow and complicated’ plans to close schools The main problem in the Broward school district — and for Hepburn — remains the loss of millions of dollars because of shrinking student enrollment. —Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024

The videos have led millions of girls and women to post their own clips showing them washing their faces and applying makeup—taking viewers through their often complicated preparations for dates, school, church, and many other occasions. —Alexandra Sternlicht, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024

But a CalMatters investigation paints a more complicated picture. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

How complicated does that make this issue, and how does the DHS hope this plan might offer solutions there? —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024

Wrangling a set of events that includes some 40 to 50 people and that, thanks to the complicated historical record, doesn't translate easily to a dramatic structure, became a challenge. —Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024

From Ye calling out George Bush after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the breakthrough of having Barack Obama brush the imaginary dirt off his shoulder, hip-hop has long had a complicated relationship with the White House. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024

The world’s most complicated watch made by Vacheron Constantin. —Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024

For decades, the government has spent billions of dollars to try to narrow this chasm, only to stumble amid fierce industry lobbying and complicated market forces. —Tony Romm, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of complicate entry 1

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

complicated

adjective

com·​pli·​cat·​ed ˈkäm-plə-ˌkāt-əd 

1

: consisting of many combined parts

complicated machinery

2

: difficult to analyze, understand, or explain : complex

complicatedly adverb

complicatedness noun

Medical Definition

complicated

adjective

com·​pli·​cat·​ed

of a bone fracture

: characterized by injury to nearby parts