complicated

[kom-pli-key-tid]

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

/ ˈkɒmplɪˌkeɪtɪd /

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• complicatedly adverb
• complicatedness noun
• uncomplicated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of complicated¹

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

Example Sentences

Francis is determined to keep his two bosses apart, a recipe for farcical mayhem, made all the more complicated by Rachel’s convincing drag act and Stanley’s ignorance of her master plan.

From Los Angeles Times

“What you really learn is how to tackle complicated research problems. And being trained as an engineering-oriented PhD student is a great thing for an astronaut because of the new problems they’re going to encounter.”

From Los Angeles Times

These factors are further complicated by human activities.

From BBC

But the challenge of where to house people if the hotel was to close, poses its own complicated set of problems.

From BBC

“Now, it’s going to be even more complicated,” he said, after learning of the Supreme Court decision.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arduous 
• convoluted 
• difficult 
• fancy 
• hard 
• intricate 
• knotty 
• perplexing 
• problematic 
• sophisticated 
• troublesome