complication

[ kom-pli-key-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of complicating.
2. a complicated complicated or involved state or condition.
3. a complex combination of elements or things.
4. something that introduces, usually unexpectedly, some difficulty, problem, change, etc.:

   Because of the complications involved in traveling during the strike, we decided to postpone our trip.

   Synonyms: obstacle, handicap, drawback

5. Pathology. a concurrent disease, accident, or adverse reaction that aggravates the original disease.
6. the act of forming a unified idea or impression from a number of sense data, memories, etc.

complication

/ ˌkɒmplɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. a condition, event, etc, that is complex or confused
2. the act or process of complicating
3. a situation, event, or condition that complicates or frustrates

   her coming was a serious complication

4. a disease or disorder arising as a consequence of another disease

Other Words From

• compli·cative adjective
• precom·pli·cation noun
• recom·pli·cation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of complication¹

1605–15; < Late Latin complicātīon- (stem of complicātiō ), equivalent to complicāt ( us ) ( complicate ) + -īon- -ion

Example Sentences

"There was a complication and she had stopped breathing in the first few minutes of surgery," she said in a statement.

From BBC

But it will add another complication to the 30-year-old’s offseason throwing program — and will probably push back his timeline to join the Dodgers’ starting rotation next season.

From Los Angeles Times

Another complication in Arizona is that voters in Maricopa County, the state’s most populous, are being asked to complete the longest ballot they have seen in nearly two decades, Orey said.

From Los Angeles Times

They suspected that she had developed a dangerous complication of sepsis known as disseminated intravascular coagulation; she was bleeding internally.

From Salon

Her two daughters are taking their GCSEs over the next 18 months, which is an added complication - they've not studied the curriculum for the National 5s they'd be sitting if they moved to the state sector.

From BBC

Related Words

• complexity
• confusion
• difficulty
• obstacle
• problem
• snag