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complication

complication

99 4.1
Something that makes a plan or situation harder to deal with
  • noun
  • /ˌkɒmplɪˈkeɪʃən/
translation icon : complicación
  • We both knew, from day one... there would be complications.
  • encounter complications
  • a financial complication
  • consequences of complications

Somebody, you know, all kinds of complications always ensue.

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Examples

  • So I think, well, simple answers, it's definitely added a layer of complication because now love is treated like shopping.

  • The new rules introduced a complication that made the project harder to complete.

  • There was some complication and this was over more than a year.

  • You know, we had some complications in the beginning of the interview.

  • Unfortunately, there are several other complications if one is getting involved in this type of work.

    Academic text (1990)
  • It can create a sense of complication that can make things harder to manage.

  • The use of color news film and live color studio cameras posed numerous complications.

    Academic text (2017)
  • There were complications, but nothing that will affect future births.

  • And one of the complications here is that this tear goes right through the inscription.

  • Mattox analyzes every death and complication to determine how one could do things better.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

problem
vscomplication
1.2

A situation that causes trouble and needs a solution

is something that adds complexity rather than the original issue needing solution
trouble
vscomplication
1.0

A situation that causes difficulty, worry, or inconvenience

is about making situations more complex without emotional stress
difficulty
vscomplication
651 2.4

A hard part of a task that needs extra effort or is not easy to understand

is something that increases complexity rather than naming the hard state
conundrum
vscomplication
45 8.5

A confusing problem or question that is hard to solve

is a factor that makes situations harder or more confusing, not a single problem
rub
vscomplication
  • Informal
22 7.7

An unexpected problem that makes a plan or situation more difficult

is any factor making things more complex, not necessarily unexpected
tricky situation
vscomplication
4 3.7

A difficult situation that is hard to deal with

adds the idea of making events more complex, not only awkwardness
complicator
vscomplication
8.0

A person or thing that makes a situation more difficult by adding extra steps

is any factor that complicates a situation rather than specifically being an agent
incumbrance
vscomplication
  • Archaic
9.9

Something that makes a task or journey harder

is a general source of extra complexity, not only a physical burden
knotty issue
vscomplication
6.8

A difficult problem that is hard to solve

is a factor increasing complexity, not just a hard problem itself
knotty situation
vscomplication
7.7

A difficult problem with no easy solution

adds that something makes matters more complex, not only their difficulty
thorny challenge
vscomplication
7.4

A difficult problem that needs careful handling

focuses on things that cause extra complexity rather than merely difficulty

Antonyms

2.1

An answer to a problem or a way to deal with a difficult situation

62 3.3

An explanation that makes something easier to understand

How Complicating

crisis
3.1
complication
99 4.1
problem
1.2
issue
3.0

Surface Forms

complication singular
complications plural

Morphology

complication = complicate (transparent) = complicate + ion

Standard noun formation from the verb 'complicate' meaning a state or result of making something more complex.

Etymology

The word complication comes from Latin parts com- 'together' and plicare 'to fold', so imagine many folds making something tangled and hard to work with. So a complication is something that 'folds into' a plan or situation and makes it more complex, like the related word complex.