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complexion

8 5.8

The general character of a time, activity, or group

noun
/kəmˈplɛkʃən/

: cariz

Girardi was right when he said the call changed the complexion of the ballgame.
change the complexion
the political complexion

Examples

This puts an entirely different complexion on the matter.

The Ninth Gate (1999)
The recent changes in policy have transformed the complexion of the local economy.
Most football fans know that a solid hit can change the complexion of a game.

Blog text (17)
Well that puts a different complexion on the entire matter.

Coney Island (1943)
It's funny how a night's sleep can change the complexion of things.

Fiction book (1998)
His retirement certainly puts a new complexion on the race.

Grand Prix (1966)
This new information completely alters the complexion of the discussion about climate change.
The diverse backgrounds of the participants will change the overall complexion of the project.

Synonyms

makeup

vscomplexion

119 2.8

Parts and qualities that form a person or group

describes overall character or attitude rather than listing parts

Compounds

fair complexion

1 3.5

Light skin that often burns easily in the sun

permatanned complexion

7.9

Skin that looks brown all year because of a fake tan

Surface Forms

complexion singular

complexions plural

Morphology

complexion = complex (semi-transparent) = complex + ion

The sense 'general character or quality' relates to the idea of a 'composition' or complex of features, but this usage requires a small semantic shift from the usual meaning of 'complex'.

Etymology

Complexion comes from Latin parts com- 'together' and plectere 'to weave', and the same root is in complex, meaning 'made of many parts'. So complexion can mean the overall character or 'look' of a situation because it is about how different parts come together.