as in to complicate
to make complex or difficult
my proposal would simplify the process, whereas yours would needlessly complexify it
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Recent Examples of complexify
Ju-yeong’s villainous backstory and present Like most of the characters in Good Boy, villain Ju-yeong doesn’t get a backstory that complexifies his actions.
—
Kayti Burt, Time, 21 July 2025
Blakely’s performance is indicative of The Private Life’s problems — the attempt to pastiche and complexify the popular understanding of this literary relationship ends up re-creating its most irritating qualities.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
But like Nichole says, there have been new complexifying factors in the meantime.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 31 July 2023
Rather than expand our singular viewpoint, calcified by confirmation and desirability biases, to a dualistic battle royale that may only further harden our stance, Grant suggests the solution is to explore other angles and viewpoints beyond our purview—to complexify.
—Tim Maurer, Forbes, 13 June 2021
In between the set pieces and special effects, those shows forgot about enriching and complexifying their themes.
—Wired Staff, Wired, 20 Dec. 2019
What’s the point of complexifying a straightforward election?
—Adam Rogers, WIRED, 6 June 2018
Kayti Burt, Time, 21 July 2025
Blakely’s performance is indicative of The Private Life’s problems — the attempt to pastiche and complexify the popular understanding of this literary relationship ends up re-creating its most irritating qualities.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
But like Nichole says, there have been new complexifying factors in the meantime.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 31 July 2023
Rather than expand our singular viewpoint, calcified by confirmation and desirability biases, to a dualistic battle royale that may only further harden our stance, Grant suggests the solution is to explore other angles and viewpoints beyond our purview—to complexify.
—Tim Maurer, Forbes, 13 June 2021
In between the set pieces and special effects, those shows forgot about enriching and complexifying their themes.
—Wired Staff, Wired, 20 Dec. 2019
What’s the point of complexifying a straightforward election?
—Adam Rogers, WIRED, 6 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complexify
Verb
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Moscow has also touted a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) capability, enabling warheads to be placed on low-Earth orbital trajectories toward their targets, a profile that complicates early detection and interception.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
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After excluding visits for VOC complicated by other diagnoses that necessitated an ESI 2 and visits for other acute sickle cell disease complications, the study included 66 ED visits by 41 patients.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Human rights advocates say Israel’s destruction of health infrastructure and intensified hostilities have hampered efforts to document the full scope of famine in Gaza.—
Soph Warnes,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
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As the winds intensified, power lines across the city started to fault.—
Chiara Eisner,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Complexify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complexify. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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