complicated
Not easy to understand.
Difficult to understand, describe, or explain clearly.
With many parts or many steps.
Made up of many connected parts, details, or steps, often in a way that is hard to manage or understand quickly.
Hard to deal with because many things affect it.
Difficult to handle because it involves many factors, problems, or uncertainties.
Not simple because of feelings or past problems.
Having emotional or personal difficulties, often because of mixed feelings, past events, or unclear boundaries between people.
In medicine, having extra problems that make it harder to treat.
In medicine, involving additional problems or conditions that make an illness, injury, or treatment more difficult than usual.
Not simple in its structure.
Having a structure with many elements or layers, especially in language, music, or academic work.
- Base: complicated
[something] is complicated by [something]
1made harder by another factor
Another thing makes it harder.
- The rescue was complicated by bad weather.
- The investigation was complicated by a lack of witnesses.
- The project is complicated by new regulations.
- The trip was complicated by rain.
it's complicated.
1hard to explain simply
I can’t explain it easily; it’s not simple.
- Are you two dating? It’s complicated.
- Why did you quit? It’s complicated—I’ll tell you later.
- Do you like him? It’s complicated.
- It’s complicated.
- My situation is complicated.
to make matters more complicated
1add another difficulty
And then there was another problem.
- To make matters more complicated, the bank was closed that day.
- To make matters more complicated, we didn’t have her current address.
- The train was delayed, and to make matters more complicated, my phone battery died.
- To make matters more complicated, it started raining.
to make things complicated
1make it unnecessarily difficult
To make it harder than necessary.
- Stop making things complicated—just choose one option.
- He made things complicated by changing the plan at the last minute.
- We don’t need to make things complicated; the solution is simple.
- Don’t make things complicated.