complicated

1 of 2

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

complicated

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of complicate entry 1

Synonyms of complicated

Adjective

• complicate
• intricate
• complex
• sophisticated

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

Adjective

The game's rules are too complicated.

The machine has a complicated design.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Which is potentially more powerful and complicated than any of what happens to the Trask brothers. — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026

Those questions have become more complicated as shelters, and the threats they’re meant to address, evolve. — Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Even so, Ursula is a more complicated proposition than that wholesome image suggests. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026

Bragg signed years ago did not invoke Capote’s more complicated legacy as a fabulist who invented scenes and quotes. — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of complicate entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for complicated

• abdicated
• abrogated
• acclimated
• activated
• actuated
• adumbrated
• advocated
• aggravated
• aggregated
• agitated
• allocated
• alternated

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