complicate 1 of 2

1
2
as in to deepen
to make more severe asthma that has recently been complicated by a bout of bronchitis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

complicate

2 of 2

adjective

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 complicate
Verb
And yet their feelings toward Jackson were complicated. Danielle Bacher, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025 Few of these filmmakers are aiming for mainland Chinese audiences, due to the high costs, cultural differences and censorship issues that complicate releasing films in that market. Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
What the presence of TSMC does do is complicate an already complex situation. Kerry Brown, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025 That the aircraft impacted the ground so violently will no doubt complicate investigators' work, given the state of the physical evidence, Axios' Fitzpatrick adds. Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 2 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for complicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complicate
Verb
  • What’s Next: The Fed, Earnings, and More Tariff Talk As investors look forward, the focus shifts to a few catalysts that could either stabilize markets or deepen the decline: The Federal Reserve’s next moves, a fresh batch of economic data, Russia Ukraine Peace talks, and the ongoing trade war.
    Adam Sarhan, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Both prove facile stabs at deepening their male counterparts.
    J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Some of this ‘fresh stock’ is explained by such properties having hit an ancestral dead-end: many villas have been handed down through local families for generations and some are now owned by multiple grandchildren who would prefer to sell than manage a complicated ‘who stays when’ calendar.
    Lysanne Currie, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Carell and Horgan’s HBO series Set on a college campus, the untitled Steve Carell comedy from Lawrence and Matt Tarses, which is slated to start production next month, centers on an author’s (Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Trump’s hardline approach to deporting immigrants has intensified America’s already-stark partisan divide.
    Brad Heath, Joshua Schneyer, Marisa Taylor, Sarah N. Lynch, Mike Spector, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025
  • As climate goals become more urgent and regulatory pressures intensify, retailers are at a pivotal moment in their sustainability journeys.
    Arthur Zaczkiewicz, WWD, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • But losses continued, worsened by the high inflation that had shoppers tightening their clothing budgets.
    Alina Selyukh, NPR, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Prepare for funding challenges Securing financing before a downturn worsens can be a game-changer.
    Melissa Houston, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Where the Rubik's Cube is solved by twisting blocky columns in intricate patterns and sequences, the Magic Cube design is a much simpler proposition.
    Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Some, like Martin’s idol and inspiration, J.R.R. Tolkien, are architects, meticulously planning out their intricate worlds and the hundreds of characters and story lines that exist within them.
    Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Get okay with the idea that in the future, your past work will embarrass you.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The Vance memes seem to contain an admission as well: that even some conservatives do not see him as essential to the current MAGA movement. Consider the fact that Democrats have long tried to embarrass Trump with memes and images of him as an infant, a Cheeto, and other forms.
    Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Martinez Mendoza has been charged with one count each of aggravated discharge of a firearm-direction of an occupied vehicle and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon-no FOID.
    Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
  • After his release, the driver of the Ford truck was taken into custody and booked into the Ada County Jail on suspicion of felony aggravated driving under the influence, according to jail records.
    Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Myers led the complex negotiations, finalizing the largest section of the deal in 2000 at a cost of $30 million in conservancy funds and $15 million from federal sources.
    Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Over the past decade, successive U.S. administrations have ignored Iran’s nefarious regional activities during nuclear negotiations because trying to dismantle Iran’s huge regional proxy network was an overwhelming, complex process.
    Michael Knights, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Complicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complicate. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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