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complex problem

complex problem

11 4.9
A problem with many connected parts that is hard to solve
  • noun
translation icon : problema complejo
  • Poverty has become a more complex problem in terms of the context in which it is found.
  • solve complex problems
  • solution to complex problems
  • address a complex problem

Life comes down to the complex problems of the heart, which are all about love.

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Examples

  • Addressing education inequality is a complex problem that requires cooperation from multiple organizations and stakeholders.

  • The Amazon fires in particular are part of a complex problem involving politics, big business, and prolific corruption.

  • So are you saying that when you face a a complex problem, try to only work on part of it?

  • The president, during the final days of September, called a meeting of the men most familiar with the complex problem.

  • This is a really deep, complex problem that involves culture, economics, access to the right diet.

  • Substance use among adolescents is a complex problem and an ongoing concern.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Within the international waters focal area, countries face complex problems that are transboundary by nature.

    Academic text (2005)
  • With the availability of real-time news, we are more aware of the complex problems that inundate our world.

    Academic text (2015)
  • All members of the Pension Committee merit special commendation for working through this excruciatingly complex problem.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The more enlightened will combine the know-how of professionals and amateurs to solve complex problems.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

knotty issue
vscomplex problem
6.8

A difficult problem that is hard to solve

focuses on many interconnected factors making resolution difficult
knotty situation
vscomplex problem
7.7

A difficult problem with no easy solution

emphasises the interacting factors causing the difficulty

Antonyms

1.0

Easy to understand or do

How Complex

intractable
22 8.7
complex problem
11 4.9
difficult
1.6
trivial
121 3.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

complex + problem

The meaning 'a problem that is difficult to analyze or solve because it involves many interconnected factors' is directly derivable from combining 'complex' (consisting of many interrelated parts) with 'problem' (a difficulty requiring fixing). This straightforward adjective–noun compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

Complex problem brings a clear picture: a tangled puzzle or a bundle of connected parts, where complex means many linked pieces and problem means a difficulty. So, a complex problem is 'a problem that is hard to understand or fix because many connected parts affect each other'.