Definition of complexitynext
1
as in complexness
the state or quality of having many interrelated parts or aspects the complexity of the company's computer system is such that a full-time employee is needed to maintain it

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2
as in difficulty
something that makes a situation more complicated or difficult the political complexities that the secretary-general must deal with

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of complexity Ruth Madeley, who stars in Being Heumann, found a different kind of complexity in portraying disability rights activist Judy Heumann. — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026 The plants and fungi in his garden had dried up, and summer puddles, with their flamboyant biological complexity, had long frozen over. — Molly Herring, Quanta Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026 What Baldwin is lamenting is our tendency to fall back on binaries — right and wrong, good and evil — rather than to struggle with complexity. — David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 For many families, international complexity develops gradually. — Elie Nour, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for complexity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complexity
Noun
  • The movie sanitizes the past and removes its tang, its pungency, leaving a craving for contact with nature, with raw experience, with incongruities and accidents and anything but what fits, in lieu of such synthetic sophistication.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Most impressive is its capacity to achieve the perfect balance between design and sophistication, without being uptight or boring.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Systems fail; unanticipated difficulties occur; things break or rot.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Even if consumers have difficulty discerning chemicals in flossing products, the environmental scientist encourages people not to stop flossing.
    — Margaret Hetherman The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The intricacies of their discourse and society might be unfilmable, or at least, not many have tried to represent it in full.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In the streaming age, algorithms have grown incredibly sophisticated to address these intricacies.
    — Travis Clark, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • But because of complications in the delivery room, both women gave birth via caesarean section.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The program provides grants to states, academic institutions and non-profit organizations to gather data on the disease, complications and treatment.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Complexity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complexity. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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