complex 1 of 3

complex

2 of 3

noun

1
as in facility
a structure that is designed and built for a particular purpose an apartment complex

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
as in system
something made up of many interdependent or related parts a complex of government programs designed to assist the needy

Synonyms & Similar Words

complex

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective complex differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of complex are complicated, intricate, involved, and knotty. While all these words 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

When is complicated a more appropriate choice than complex?

While the synonyms complicated and complex are close in meaning, complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining.

complicated legal procedures

When might intricate be a better fit than complex?

The synonyms intricate and complex are sometimes interchangeable, but intricate suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately.

an intricate web of deceit

When is it sensible to use involved instead of complex?

Although the words involved and complex have much in common, involved implies extreme complication and often disorder.

a rambling, involved explanation

When would knotty be a good substitute for complex?

While in some cases nearly identical to complex, knotty suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable.

knotty ethical questions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of complex
Adjective
Such caveats underscore the weakness of compliance monitoring snapshots in capturing the complex pressures and administrative barriers constraining workers’ ability to exercise their rights on a day-to-day basis. Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025 The findings underscore that sleep health may be best understood through these broader, more complex patterns rather than any single measure. Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
The first occurred on March 13, 2020, when an officer visited White’s apartment, in an affordable-housing complex outside Sydney. Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025 The Davis Collection has been slowly coming to life as more than a dozen new tenants open around the revitalized UC Davis-adjacent shopping complex. Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for complex
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complex
Adjective
  • Moreover, parlay bets are getting more complicated as time goes on, decreasing the chances of winning.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Peter Hedges’s drama about a young recovering addict (Lucas Hedges) coming back unannounced to his family starts off promisingly, with Roberts’s supportive but wary character trying to manage her complicated feelings about her son’s return.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Defensive struggles are all connected, because football is beautifully intricate like that, but the secondary is a problem.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Shortly after its dawn, dresses produced by Paris’ leading fashion houses, such as Poiret, Chanel and Lanvin, were envisaged with the same geometric, linear designs and intricate decorations that were characteristic of the revolutionary movement.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Headquartered in Dallas, Aligned is a fast-growing hyperscale operator that provides cloud infrastructure across some 50 facilities.
    Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In April that year, an explosion at the facility killed one worker and injured four others, CNN affiliate WSMV reported.
    Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Heavy rare earths are almost exclusively produced by China and essential for advanced technologies, powering high-performance magnets, semiconductors, and precision military systems.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Keney innovations include RibbonFET, a new transistor architecture enabling efficient scaling, and PowerVia, a backside power delivery system enhancing energy flow.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Amid the aftermath, as aid groups and Taliban bureaucrats were assisting those injured and left homeless by the earthquake, other Taliban officials twice suspended most internet and cellular reception throughout Afghanistan, complicating aid efforts.
    NPR, NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Michaels took to her Instagram days after the release of Fit for TV to post a series of screenshots of text chains, email threads, and other pieces of documentation refuting or otherwise complicating each claim leveled at her.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Just as sophisticated as Hamas, which built hundreds of miles of underground tunnels as part of its preparations for war with Israel?
    Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Spanning the entire 54th floor of the sinuous Echo Brickell is one such mansion in the sky, this one a sophisticated assemblage of high-quality finishes and bold design.
    Mark David, Robb Report, 13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • By carefully analyzing the subtle interactions of these signals, the technology can generate a highly detailed and accurate representation of a person’s presence, posture, and movement that is comparable to a camera snapshot, but constructed entirely from radio waves.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Whereas criminal suspects in this past may have been incriminated by a Google query on, say, how to clean up bloodstains, a more comprehensive, detailed back-and-forth with a tool like ChatGPT gives investigators far more opportunities to prove intent and mindset, Lee explains.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • During that time, CBS’ viewership has aged and declined, and its digital operation has lagged behind nimbler competitors, even as other television networks have found some limited success in the worlds of podcasting and digital video.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Researchers developed a quantum network using arrays of ¹⁷¹Yb atoms, recognized for their potential in long-distance quantum communication.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Complex.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complex. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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