complicate matters
idiom
: to make a situation more complicated
To (further) complicate matters, they both have the same name.
Examples of complicate matters in a Sentence
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After Hoffman's bullpen mates Brendon Little and Seranthony Dominguez imploded in Game 5 back in Seattle, Schneider understandably didn't want to complicate matters late in the game on Sunday.
—
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
To complicate matters further, a news crew is on campus filming a documentary.
—Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Foreign actors may complicate matters.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
To complicate matters, Talese didn’t feel like writing about Sinatra, preferring non-celebrity subjects, while Sinatra, hampered by post-nasal drip, didn’t feel like talking to Talese.
—Mark Rozzo, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025
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Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
To complicate matters further, a news crew is on campus filming a documentary.
—Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Foreign actors may complicate matters.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
To complicate matters, Talese didn’t feel like writing about Sinatra, preferring non-celebrity subjects, while Sinatra, hampered by post-nasal drip, didn’t feel like talking to Talese.
—Mark Rozzo, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complicate matters
Cite this Entry
“Complicate matters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complicate%20matters. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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