complicate
Americanverb (used with object)
adjective
-
complex; involved.
-
Entomology. folded longitudinally one or more times, as the wings of certain insects.
verb
adjective
-
biology folded on itself
a complicate leaf
-
a less common word for complicated
Other Word Forms
- overcomplicate verb (used with object)
- precomplicate verb (used with object)
- recomplicate verb (used with object)
- uncomplicate verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of complicate
1615–25; < Latin complicātus (past participle of complicāre to fold together), equivalent to com- com- + -plic- (combining form of *plecāre to fold, akin to plectī to plait; complex ) + -ātus -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A sustained rise in energy costs, combined with sticky inflation, complicates the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates.
From Barron's
That would complicate the job for the Federal Reserve and other major central banks, which have cut interest rates in recent years under the assumption that the worst of postpandemic inflation was behind them.
But for Netflix, such a deal would have complicated the business model for a company that had already vaulted to a leading position in Hollywood on its strength as a streaming pure-play.
This is a simplification, of course—certainly, taxes can be complicated by write offs and different income types.
The rapid ascent and large variety of prediction markets has presented new challenges to regulators and complicated the surveillance of suspicious trades.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
