Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

complicated

American  
[kom-pli-key-tid] / ˈkɒm plɪˌkeɪ tɪd /

adjective

  1. composed of elaborately interconnected parts; complex.

    complicated apparatus for measuring brain functions.

  2. difficult to analyze, understand, explain, etc..

    a complicated problem.
    Synonyms:
    knotty, tangled, involved
complicated British  
/ ˈkɒmplɪˌkeɪtɪd /

adjective

  1. made up of intricate parts or aspects that are difficult to understand or analyse

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • complicatedly adverb
  • complicatedness noun
  • uncomplicated adjective

Etymology

Origin of complicated

First recorded in 1640–50; complicate + -ed 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Catalysts for a recovery that lengthens into the back half of the year, however, will be complicated by the ongoing rise in oil and other energy prices, and higher inflation coupled with slower-than-expected economic growth.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The former is much less complicated than the latter.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

Since then, for a host of complicated and mostly unforeseeable reasons, disparate circumstances across the region incline, slowly, in a promising direction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Researchers say tracking and addressing youth homelessness is further complicated by L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Her blouse is stained, and her complicated hairdo is back up but lopsided.

From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.