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complex

complex

648 5.6
Not simple because it has many connected parts
  • adjective
  • /ˈkɒmplɛks/
translation icon : complejo
  • Yes, Aggie is a very complex character.
  • complex system
  • more complex
  • complex sentences

He expands our views and makes complex subjects accessible.

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Examples

  • These are all percepts and they're part of a complex dynamic system.

  • Japan is likewise tied down with complex political and economic problems at home.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I think it's more complex than we realize.

  • But it's it's actually way more complex than that, right?

  • Actually, the mind is a very complex and very clever thing.

  • But there's a more complex set of ideas at play.

  • It's a positive portrayal of a very complex man.

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

    Academic text (2011)
  • And when we grow stronger, the world will with us, evolving into something more rich and complex than our forefathers ever dreamed of.

  • Restoring the Lost Pines will be one of the most complex projects the Forest Service has attempted.

Synonyms

difficult
vscomplex
1.6

Not easy to do or understand

is specifically about many connected parts rather than mere effort
complicated
vscomplex
876 5.4

Difficult to understand or deal with because it has many connected parts

is the broader idea of many parts and analytic difficulty
sophisticated
vscomplex
279 6.8

A machine or system with many advanced parts and careful design

is about many connected parts rather than refinement or elegance
elaborate
vscomplex
179 4.9

Very detailed with many small parts or decorations

is wider, meaning many parts and not being straightforward
intricate
vscomplex
73 6.7

Having many small parts or details that are hard to understand

is more general, covering many parts not only fine detail
convoluted
vscomplex
31 8.6

Very complicated and hard to follow, often not needed

is the neutral idea of many connected parts causing difficulty
involved
vscomplex
16 6.6

Complicated and hard to understand

focuses on many connected parts and overall analysis difficulty
hard to follow
vscomplex
9 6.4

Difficult to understand

implies many connected parts and analysis difficulty rather than only comprehension trouble
quite tricky
vscomplex
1 5.1

Fairly difficult and needing some skill or care to do

denotes a broader, deeper many-parts difficulty rather than mild trickiness
supercomplex
vscomplex
8.1

Very complicated with many linked parts

is the normal case of many parts without stressing extreme size
9.4

Very hard to understand because it is complicated

captures the usual many-parts difficulty without extreme bewilderment
Gordian
vscomplex
  • Literature
9.9

Extremely difficult problem that seems impossible to solve, like a tangled knot

expresses many parts and difficulty but not necessarily unsolvable
rhizomic
vscomplex
9.9

A network of connected parts with no clear center

is the general many-parts idea, not focused on network shape

Antonyms

1.0

Easy to understand or do

Something that is easy to understand and clear

Compounds

19 7.0

A powerful group of armed forces and weapons makers that influence government decisions

A problem with many connected parts that is hard to solve

A strong, lasting feeling of not being good enough

Feeling that you are better than other people because you think highly of yourself

complex number
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A number with a real part and an imaginary part written as a + bi

An idea that is hard to understand because it has many connected parts

1 9.9

A hidden wish in a boy to be loved by his mother and to replace his father

A group of connected buildings that share the same purpose

complex sentence
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A sentence with one main clause and one or more clauses that depend on it

B complex
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A group of B vitamins that help the body turn food into energy

B-complex vitamin
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A group of vitamins that dissolve in water and help cells use food for energy

complex conjugate
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A complex number with the same real part and the imaginary part with the opposite sign

A problem about law that is difficult to solve because it has many different parts

complex plane
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A flat surface for showing numbers that have a real part and an imaginary part as points

1 9.9

A daughter's hidden romantic feelings for her father and jealousy of her mother

edifice complex
  • Informal
1 9.4

A strong wish to build very large, showy buildings to show power

1 9.9

A child's strong sexual feelings for a parent of the opposite sex and anger toward the same-sex parent

8.1

A complicated machine with many parts and no clear purpose

complex fraction
  • Specialized
7.8

A number with a fraction in the top or bottom

complex function
  • Specialized
8.5

A function that has two or more variables and shows complicated behavior

A computer design where the main processor runs many built-in instructions

A computer design where the processor runs many complex commands directly in hardware

complex preposition
  • Specialized
4.9

More than one word that work together to show place, time, or other connection like in front of

complex quantity
  • Specialized
9.0

A number with one real part and one imaginary part

complex absence
  • Specialized
9.4

A short seizure that makes you lose awareness and causes muscle weakness or sudden movements

Golgi complex
  • Specialized
4.7

Small sacs inside a cell that change, sort, and pack proteins and fats for transport

Very hard to understand because it is complicated

9.9

A group of genes that make cell-surface proteins telling the immune system if a donated organ is accepted

QRS complex
  • Specialized
6.5

A pattern on a heart test that shows electrical activity when the lower chambers contract

9.9

A group of old flowering plant families important for early flower evolution

A place where older people live and get help and join activities

vitamin B complex
  • Specialized
3.2

A group of substances in food that dissolve in water and help the body make energy

How Complex

convoluted
31 8.6
intricate
73 6.7
complex
648 5.6
complicated
876 5.4
simple
1.0

Surface Forms

complex positive
complexer comparative
complexest superlative

Etymology

Complex comes from Latin parts com- 'together' and plectere 'to braid', so it means 'woven together'. That's why a complex thing has many connected parts and can be hard or not simple to understand.