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

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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

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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 But there were absences on both sides of the aisle, complicating the math. — Mariana Alfaro, Arkansas Online, 13 Nov. 2026 There are other complicating factors with a prospective Netflix-NBCU deal. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 12 Nov. 2026 Annual greenhouse gas emissions are much less variable, having increased fairly steadily, but many complicating factors can still muddy the picture. — Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 10 Nov. 2026 Liquid fuels can slosh around tanks, complicating spacecraft control. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026 The annual New York City Marathon — which attracts tourists and runners from all over the world while complicating surface transportation across all five boroughs — is typically a high-water mark for subway ridership. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026 Sections of Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North remain closed, and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were operating in ongoing bad weather Monday, complicating the investigation. — Zoey Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026 Another complicating factor is that H1N1 has been the dominant strain this year, compared to the previous few years when the H3N2 strain was the predominant one. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 30 Oct. 2026 Solid economic growth and steady consumer spending are also exerting upward pressure on prices, complicating the task of taming inflation, according to economists. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complicating
  1. intensifying
  2. deepening
  3. perplexing
  4. worsening
  5. embarrassing
  6. aggravating
  7. confusing
  8. entangling
Verb
  • But after an election that saw government corruption polling as a top issue for voters, questions about who has profited from political connections are intensifying.
    — Gabe Kaminsky, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • These baby boomers are intensifying the need for social and healthcare services, in-demand industries that have been battling severe labor shortages across the country.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of intensifying
Verb
  • The Middle East Connection The intrigue and involvement surrounding Ethiopia's deepening conflict is not limited to its immediate neighbors.
    — Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026
  • As the track unfolds, violins gradually layer in, their melodies weaving around the vocals and deepening the emotional resonance.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 10 Nov. 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
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected accusations that Israel has been delaying the entry of winter supplies into the Gaza Strip as severe rains flood makeshift tents, worsening conditions in the enclave this week.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026
  • In recent years, the US, and particularly California, has experienced devastating fires that have become easier to ignite and harder to contain as the result of a worsening climate crisis.
    — Salomé Grouard, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • My New York neighbors barely said hello; in Singapore, a stranger would probably politely look away rather than risk embarrassing you.
    — Amanda Lee Koe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • After those results went public, embarrassing Muñiz and a few other judges, the Florida Bar stopped conducting surveys and publishing the results … leaving Florida voters with even fewer resources.
    — Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of embarrassing
Verb
  • The judge said that Brand removing the condom and ejaculating inside the victim without her consent were aggravating factors in his sentencing decision.
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 9 Nov. 2026
  • This model comes with five attachments, including a crevice tool to help remove allergy-aggravating dust, pet hair, and debris.
    — Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of aggravating
Verb
  • The decision to pursue short-term Band-Aid measures for a weak labor market and foreign trade tensions is confusing at first pass.
    — Oliver Melton, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Trump and his officials also offered confusing messages as to why Starshield — which Ukraine uses for drone strikes and air defense — had been throttled.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of confusing
Verb
  • To transport us to this emotionally sticky place, the Melbourne singer transitions into a syrupy, mature sound, entangling some of his most reflective lyrics to date with ’90s house, trip-hop, shoegaze, and touches of drum 'n' bass.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Conservatives shuddered to think how close the country had come to permanent entangling alliances.
    — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of entangling

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complicates
complicating
complication
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Cite this Entry

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

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