complicated 1 of 2

complicated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of complicate

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective complicated differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of complicated are complex, intricate, involved, and knotty. While all these words mean "having confusingly interrelated parts," complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining.

complicated legal procedures

When might complex be a better fit than complicated?

The words complex and complicated can be used in similar contexts, but complex suggests the unavoidable result of a necessary combining and does not imply a fault or failure.

a complex recipe

When would intricate be a good substitute for complicated?

The synonyms intricate and complicated are sometimes interchangeable, but intricate suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately.

an intricate web of deceit

When is it sensible to use involved instead of complicated?

The words involved and complicated are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, involved implies extreme complication and often disorder.

a rambling, involved explanation

When is knotty a more appropriate choice than complicated?

Although the words knotty and complicated have much in common, knotty suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable.

knotty ethical questions

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 complicated
Adjective
This time, the complicated plot—perhaps, unnecessarily so—is quite literally hidden in shoeboxes. Shannon Carlin, Time, 30 May 2025 While acknowledging that there could be complicated feelings about a white director like Scorsese leading the project, Sereno is mostly focused on whether the story will be told in an authentic way. Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025 The result is a mosaic of broods that makes the jigsaw puzzle of periodical cicada distribution more complicated, but more interesting. Chris Simon, The Conversation, 22 May 2025 My work centers Native characters who are fully human: messy, funny, complicated. Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for complicated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complicated
Adjective
  • The moves challenge the traditional U.S. security role and complicate Africa's geopolitical landscape as Washington steps back.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025
  • Left unmanaged, these issues can disrupt family dynamics, derail careers, deplete wealth and complicate legacy planning.
    John Samuels, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Create a detailed picture of how my mornings could be different.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • The team credits their detailed simulation to the power of cutting-edge computing.
    Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • In the sixth inning, India re-aggravated the injury after reaching base on a one-out walk.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2025
  • However, the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad aggravated already tense relations between Turkey and Israel, with their conflicting interests pushing the relationship toward a possible collision course.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The intricate scrollwork along the bottom gives it the nouveau feel, but the bow at the top reads modern.
    Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 7 June 2025
  • The crown’s intricate decorations, including gold beads and jade pieces, highlight the craftsmanship of the era.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Musk’s post threw another hurdle in front of Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s already complex task to pass a bill in time for Trump to achieve his goal of signing it by July 4.
    Jonathan J. Cooper, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
  • On the high end of the spectrum, there were leather handbags with complex designs.
    Liz McNeil, People.com, 3 June 2025
Verb
  • As the recession deepened and unemployment shot higher, the interest and the penalties on Natale’s loans compounded much faster than her ability to move up the ladder to higher paying jobs.
    Alicia Wallace, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Those convictions were only deepened in the spring and summer of 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic and post-George Floyd protests.
    Alexander Nazaryan, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The foremost conflict playing out across the Middle East today is between Israel and Iran, a nation that already possesses a sophisticated and large-scale nuclear program.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
  • With its sky-high housing and living costs and its large and sophisticated workforce and population, the minimum wage that Albany dictates for the state will always be far too low to guarantee city workers a decent living.
    Paul Sonn, New York Daily News, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • This elaborate neural architecture is critical given the octopus’s dual role in the ecosystem as both predator and prey.
    Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, ArsTechnica, 7 June 2025
  • There’s an elaborate set-piece at a graduation party.
    Dwyer Murphy June 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Complicated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complicated. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on complicated

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!