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

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But serious play from Liverpool could complicate matters. Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025 The Celtics’ desire to shed significant salary in any deal would complicate matters. Jay King, New York Times, 19 June 2025 Countervailing factors, such as domestic interest groups with transnational ties to foreign actors in other markets or personal and group relationships across borders, can complicate matters, sometimes leading to exceptions or limiting the impact of asymmetric interdependence. Robert O. Keohane, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2025 To further complicate matters, Americans were fiercely divided on what next to do. David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for complicate matters

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Complicate matters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complicate%20matters. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!