complicate 1 of 2

1
2
as in to deepen
to make more severe asthma that has recently been complicated by a bout of bronchitis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

complicate

2 of 2

adjective

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 complicate
Verb
The emergence of generative AI has complicated the picture — software vendors must balance investing in expensive new capabilities without hurting their profitability. Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025 That has complicated the policy decisions for central banks in Asia, including the RBI, as boosting growth by loosening policy would mean widening the rate differentials and reducing the allure of its investment assets. Anniek Bao, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Simplify Technology Digital transformation often results in tech sprawl, a web of disconnected tools that silo data and complicate workflows. Ed Jennings, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 Sizable costs levied on businesses, costs that needlessly harm and complicate exchange for customers and businesses alike. John Tamny, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for complicate 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complicate
Verb
  • Popular freezer hacks include saving Parmesan rinds to deepen the flavor of soups, cutting up loaves of bread for toast, and even storing homemade jam without all the mess of canning.
    Meghan McCarron, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2025
  • My time in China deepened my belief in the potential for a shared future.
    Logan Spinner, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Their final conflict goes down on Silver’s yacht in the middle of the open water, as Silver ridicules Kreese for his complicated relationship with Johnny.
    Nick Caruso, TVLine, 15 Feb. 2025
  • Construed as a pedagogical exercise more than entertainment, the film offers a deep reading into the complicated plurality of the populace that constitutes nations such as Germany.
    Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Such measures risk destabilizing global supply networks, straining reliant industries, and intensifying geopolitical tensions.
    Michaela Rychetska and Aissa Dearing, JSTOR Daily, 13 Feb. 2025
  • As Israeli forces advanced in Gaza, the IDF intensified operations in Lebanon last year, killing much of its top leadership, including longtime Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, and establishing an effective buffer zone in the south.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Resting the muscle by avoiding activities that aggravate the muscle injury and worsen the pain gives the muscle time to heal.
    Lindsay Curtis, Health, 8 Feb. 2025
  • There is a real risk that cartels can fill the vacuum and worsen the mass migration in the region.
    MaryAlice Parks, ABC News, 8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • This intricate design acts as a shield that selectively filters out high-frequency stress waves to prevent damaging vibrations from moving back into the shrimp’s arm and body.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Knowledge about one system doesn’t give anyone—including Musk’s DOGE workers, some of whom were not even alive for Y2K—the ability to make intricate changes to another.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The publication of The American Black Chamber on June 1, 1931, as well as three preceding articles in the Saturday Evening Post, embarrassed the Japanese.
    Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Feb. 2025
  • The 2013 incident embarrassed New Orleans, which wanted to show off how well the city had bounced back by hosting the big game for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.
    Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 3 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Emotional repression is likely when the moon aggravates Mars retrograde.
    USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2025
  • The Trump order leaves the jury’s ability to consider aggravating and mitigating factors in the trial intact.
    Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • That’s one reason why some of the highest indirect costs at Florida universities reflected the most complex projects.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2025
  • The book is a towering achievement in Australian fiction, widely recognized as a classic of war literature and a work of national cultural importance — not to mention a gripping, psychologically complex read.
    David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near complicate

Cite this Entry

“Complicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complicate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on complicate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!