Meaning of complicate in English:
complicate
See synonyms for complicateTranslate complicate into Spanish
verb
[with object]1Make (something) more complicated.
‘increased choice will complicate matters for the consumer’- ‘There are a number of factors which complicate choices about smallpox either for governments or for individuals.’
- ‘The first factor complicating the fight against doping, he said, is the imperfect art of testing.’
- ‘One of the factors complicating the adjustment of the Hmong people has been English language acquisition.’
- ‘Proper land ownership documentation is another matter that is complicating the struggle.’
- ‘Additionally, the ability to detect this signature at a genomic level in the human lineage is complicated by other factors.’
- ‘Local factors complicated identities and made remoteness from the centre an unreliable guide to political complexion.’
- ‘Other factors can also complicate the interpretation of estimates of percentage change.’
- ‘There are wide-ranging social and economic factors which complicate things.’
- ‘As I can see it, there are two factors that start to complicate the game, somewhat affecting its gameplay.’
- ‘Further complicating matters are factors such as range-wide variability in habitat conditions that can affect survival.’
- ‘Today the situation is complicated by the fact that there's just so much out there.’
- ‘The constant shift in mental posture greatly complicates things for the average soldier.’
- ‘The relationship is complicated by the presence of heterochromatin.’
- ‘Expecting your sons to exchange properties is unnecessarily complicating the issue.’
- ‘Trends in the number of patients colonised on admission may also complicate interpretation of outcomes.’
- ‘Any potential sale has been complicated by the presence of bats, a protected species.’
- ‘The assessment of quality of life in adolescents with asthma was complicated by several factors.’
- ‘Why should my job be unnecessarily complicated by students with problems I can't solve?’
- ‘Sometimes I feel we try to complicate what's actually very simple.’
- ‘He needs a friend, not a girlfriend who will just complicate what's really important.’
make difficult, make more difficult, make complex, make complicated, mix upView synonyms- 1.1Medicine Introduce complications in (an existing condition)‘smoking may complicate pregnancy’
- ‘Pregnancy is not an absolute contraindication to travel unless complicated by an unstable medical condition or impending labor.’
- ‘Respiratory failure frequently complicates the condition of children who have sustained traumatic injury.’
- ‘Women with preterm delivery and pregnancies complicated by hemoglobinopathies, hypertension, or multiple gestation were excluded.’
- ‘More frequent visits will be necessary for patients with stage 2 hypertension or with complicating comorbid conditions.’
- ‘Stroke may be complicated by several conditions that can alter outcome adversely.’
Origin
Early 17th century (in the sense ‘combine, entangle, intertwine’): from Latin complicat- ‘folded together’, from the verb complicare, from com- ‘together’ + plicare ‘to fold’.
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