complicating

verb

present participle of complicate
1
as in intensifying
to make complex or difficult the need to go to both a PTA conference and condo board meeting really complicates tonight's schedule

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deepening
to make more severe asthma that has recently been complicated by a bout of bronchitis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 complicating For some, your work and public image could collide with other personal desires, potentially complicating the vibe. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2026 Brand perception is notoriously hard to measure, and AI is only complicating the equation. — Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2026 Fighting in recent months has spread to the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, complicating the outlook for the oil market. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 But after the primary results, both Dan Sullivans are set to appear on the ballot, potentially complicating the incumbent senator's chances. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026 Further complicating the scene is the reality that the US benefits from OPEC. — Amena Bakr, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026 Another complicating factor is that whatever is impacting recent college graduates also seems to be affecting young people who don’t have a degree. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 Front-line health workers in eastern Congo have gone on multiple strikes to demand pay for their work, complicating efforts to stop the outbreak. — ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026 Counterintuitively for sleep-optimization crowds, longer sleep duration was linked to about 16% higher odds, and daytime napping to about 14% higher odds, complicating the assumption that more sleep is always protective. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complicating
  1. intensifying
  2. deepening
  3. perplexing
  4. worsening
  5. embarrassing
  6. aggravating
  7. confusing
  8. entangling
Verb
  • The intensifying trade war between the two neighbors is unfolding just two months before the US midterm elections, putting Republicans in competitive races in the position of explaining their views on tariffs imposed by the president.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Post-9/11 security and immigration policies reshaped everyday life, intensifying surveillance and suspicion for Muslim, Middle Eastern and Sikh Americans while embedding agencies like TSA, ICE and Homeland Security into the national landscape.
    — Deepti Hajela, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of intensifying
Verb
  • Chanel is deepening its artistic relationships overseas through its Chanel Culture Fund.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Motion Picture Association signed two declarations at the Lumière Summit, aimed at deepening international collaboration and investment in audiovisual sector, protecting intellectual property and strengthening the creative economy.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of deepening
Verb
  • Gibson Nash, 21, was charged with first-degree murder after a series of perplexing events eventually led police to his mother’s bloodied body.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • But there were also perplexing moments that punctured the gravitas of the event (even for an event built around hand-to-hand combat).
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 June 2026
Definition of perplexing
Verb
  • Meanwhile, the club’s short-term assets total just €529m, making for negative working capital of €376m, a €110m worsening on a year earlier.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Tighter monetary policy typically implies having higher interest rates aimed at reining in inflation or preventing it from worsening.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • The comprehensive regimen is meant to uncover any prior criminal conduct in an applicant’s past as well as embarrassing personal information that could make an employee vulnerable to blackmail.
    — Eric Tucker, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Since then, Hochman has been slammed for playing politics, embarrassing his office and even backing down for no reason other than the pressure was too intense.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of embarrassing
Verb
  • Stowers, who has 18 home runs, missed the first 21 games of the season with a right hamstring strain, then missed nearly two weeks in August after re-aggravating that injury.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Sacramento Superior Court jurors also found true allegations of aggravating factors and a sentencing enhancement for multiple victims, prosecutors said.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggravating
Verb
  • Dirty glass, confusing backing liners and difficulty repositioning the film were among the most common frustrations.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Then began the desperate, confusing search for their colleagues.
    — Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • As Bruno departs for Venice, desire persists across oceans, entangling a Spinozist professor and rival passions.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • When that quantum task involved entangling qubits, quantum computers had an advantage over classical computers, as the classical program took ages to run.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 3 June 2026
Definition of entangling

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Cite this Entry

“Complicating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complicating. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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