complicated

adjective

com·​pli·​cat·​ed ˈkäm-plə-ˌkā-təd 

1

: consisting of parts intricately combined

a complicated recipe

complicated machinery

2

: difficult to analyze, understand, or explain

a complicated issue

his absurdly complicated life

complicatedly adverb

complicatedness noun

Synonyms

• baroque
• byzantine
• complex
• complicate
• convoluted
• daedal
• elaborate
• intricate
• involute
• involved
• knotty
• labyrinthian
• labyrinthine
• sophisticated
• tangled

Choose the Right Synonym for complicated

complex, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty mean having confusingly interrelated parts.

complex suggests the unavoidable result of a necessary combining and does not imply a fault or failure.

a complex recipe

complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining.

complicated legal procedures

intricate suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately.

an intricate web of deceit

involved implies extreme complication and often disorder.

a rambling, involved explanation

knotty suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable.

knotty ethical questions

Examples of complicated in a Sentence

The game's rules are too complicated.

The machine has a complicated design.

Recent Examples on the Web

But it’s not yet known whether there’s a limit to how varied and complicated these patterns can get. —Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024

To make matters more complicated, the only way to bring in dump trucks and other machines that might be needed for a cleanup is by driving through Caltrans land. —Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024

Costs on larger and more complicated roofs can be two to three times that. —Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024

Creating and keeping track of all these moving pieces quickly becomes the most complicated part of game development, even for seasoned pros. —PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of complicate entry 1

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

complicated

adjective

com·​pli·​cat·​ed ˈkäm-plə-ˌkāt-əd 

1

: consisting of many combined parts

complicated machinery

2

: difficult to analyze, understand, or explain : complex

complicatedly adverb

complicatedness noun

Medical Definition

complicated

adjective

com·​pli·​cat·​ed

of a bone fracture

: characterized by injury to nearby parts