The word complex means

There are several meanings of the word complex; one could say the word complex itself is very complex! Take a look at this article to learn several meanings of the word complex, its origin, example sentences, and more!

What Does the Word Complex Mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary, the word complex has many meanings. The most common meaning of complex is as an adjective meaning complicated or intricate, or having an involved arrangement of parts. A complex can also refer to a collection of buildings or a group of buildings, such as an apartment complex. 

In biochemistry, a complex refers to a structure consisting of a central atom and a composition of molecules that can form coordinate bonds like a receptor-hormone complex. 

In psychology, a complex is a type of pathological or strange behavior or emotion resulting from memories, feelings, and impulses. The pronunciation of complex is ˈkɒmplɛks.

What Is the Origin of the Word Complex?

According to Dictionary, the word complex has been used since the 17th century in Middle English. This word comes from the Latin complexus, which is the past participle of complecti, and the Latin complectere, which means to embrace or include. 

How Can Complex Be Used in a Sentence?

Below are example sentences containing the word complex. Studying sentences that contain words you are trying to learn is one of many tactics for memorizing definitions. See if you can determine which definition of complex is used in each of these sentences:

Based on her psychoanalysis, he had all of the symptoms of a superiority complex. The combination of emotions he presented was identical to a person’s behavior who’s been diagnosed with the syndrome.

Jim studied the complex entity of ions in chemistry class and broke it down into its constituents to identify its chemical identity. He broke the whole structure known as a coordination compound into its related structures and related parts from the conceptual whole.

The complex machinery known as an escalator was installed in the shopping malls in town. The use of these complex ideas was new to the people, and a combination of factors led to customers preferring the stairs instead.

The group of emotional ideas led to the woman boss’ pathological behavior and inferiority complex outside of her complex mind. Her obsessive notion and fear of a particular thing necessitated therapy.

He knew how to play a simple folk melody, but he was lost when presented with a complex set of variations. 

She twisted a braid into her hair before attempting the complex process for her mathematics class. One person’s behavior in class insinuated that she would be unsuccessful, but she was able to solve the problem even with its complicated association of the square root of real numbers.

What Are Translations of Complex?

If you need to describe something as being complex to a person who does not speak English, reference these translations of complex that are provided by Nice Translator.

  • Marathi: कॉम्प्लेक्स
  • Turkish: karmaşık
  • Romanian: complex
  • Finnish: monimutkainen
  • Lithuanian: Kompleksas 
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 複雜的
  • Portuguese (Portugal): complexo
  • Danish: kompleks.
  • Polish: złożony
  • Tamil: சிக்கலான
  • Ukrainian: комплексний
  • Urdu: کمپلیکس
  • Bulgarian: комплекс
  • Malay: kompleks
  • Thai: ซับซ้อน
  • Chinese (PRC): 复杂的
  • Greek: συγκρότημα
  • Italian: complesso
  • Basque: konplexu
  • Slovenian: kompleks
  • Portuguese (Brazil): complexo
  • Swedish: komplex
  • French: complexe
  • Norwegian: kompleks
  • Amharic: ውስብስብ
  • Hungarian: összetett
  • Russian: сложный
  • Catalan: complex
  • Vietnamese: phức tạp
  • Indonesian: kompleks
  • Hebrew: מורכב
  • Latvian: komplekss
  • Croatian: kompleks
  • Gujarati: સંકુલ
  • Icelandic: flókið
  • Welsh: gymhleth
  • Czech: komplex
  • Telugu: క్లిష్టమైన
  • Filipino: mahirap unawain
  • Malayalam: കോംപ്ലമായ
  • German: Komplex
  • Serbian: комплекс
  • Bengali: জটিল
  • Estonian: kompleksne
  • Korean: 복잡한
  • Spanish: complejo
  • Japanese: 繁雑
  • Slovak: komplexný
  • Dutch: complex
  • Swahili: tata
  • Arabic: مركب
  • Hindi: जटिल
  • Kannada: ಸಂಕೀರ್ಣ

What Are Synonyms of the Word Complex?

Power Thesaurus lists many words that can be used in place of the word complex. These words are called synonyms, and have similar definitions to the word complex.

  • abstruse
  • anfractuous
  • arduous
  • awkward
  • baffling
  • bewildering
  • burdensome
  • byzantine
  • challenging
  • complexity
  • complicated
  • composite
  • compound
  • confusing
  • convoluted
  • cumbersome
  • daedal
  • deep
  • difficult
  • disturbing
  • elaborate
  • esoteric
  • fixation
  • gordian
  • grinding
  • hang-up
  • hard
  • hard to understand
  • heterogeneous
  • impenetrable
  • incomprehensible
  • inextricable
  • intricate
  • involute
  • involved
  • knotted
  • knotty
  • laborious
  • labyrinthine
  • multiple
  • multiplex
  • nasty
  • network
  • neurosis
  • obscure
  • obsession
  • operose
  • oppressive
  • painful
  • perplexed
  • perplexing
  • precarious
  • problematic
  • profound
  • puzzling
  • recondite
  • rough
  • rugged
  • sensitive
  • severe
  • sinuous
  • sophisticated
  • sticky
  • stressful
  • structure
  • system
  • tangled
  • tangly
  • thorny
  • ticklish
  • tight
  • toilsome
  • tortuous
  • tough
  • tricky
  • trying
  • unfathomable
  • weighty

What Are Antonyms of the Word Complex?

Complex also has several antonyms which are listed below from Power Thesaurus. These words are opposites of the word complex.

  • ancient
  • antediluvian
  • antiquated
  • antique
  • apparent
  • archaic
  • as easy as ABC
  • as easy as falling off a log
  • as easy as pie
  • as easy as rolling off a log
  • as easy as shooting fish in a barrel
  • as simple as ABC
  • austere
  • backward
  • bald
  • bare
  • basic
  • can be done with your eyes closed
  • can be done with your eyes shut
  • childlike
  • clear
  • crystal clear
  • dated
  • direct
  • dull
  • early
  • easily understood
  • easy
  • easy as pie
  • easy as shelling peas
  • easy as shooting fish in a barrel
  • easy peasy Japanesey
  • easy to achieve
  • effortless
  • elementary
  • evident
  • fairly straightforward
  • hassle-free
  • homogeneous
  • isolation
  • like shooting fish in a barrel
  • low
  • modest
  • natural
  • nonprogressive
  • obsolete
  • obvious
  • old
  • old-fashioned
  • ordinary
  • outdated
  • outmoded
  • plain
  • plain sailing
  • poor
  • primitive
  • royal
  • rudimentary
  • simple
  • simplistic
  • spartan
  • stark
  • straightforward
  • unadorned
  • uncomplicated
  • uniform
  • unsophisticated

Conclusion

The word complex has several meanings. The most common meaning of the word complex is intricate or complicated. The word complex is very versatile and can be used in many ways.

Sources:

  1. Complex synonyms – 1 582 Words and Phrases for Complex | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Complex antonyms – 538 Opposites of Complex | Power Thesaurus 
  3. Complex Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
  4. Complex definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
  5. Complex | Nice Translator  

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Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do’s and don’ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.

Noun



She has a complex about her appearance.



a complex of protein molecules

Adjective



The house’s wiring is complex.



The situation is more complex than you realize.

Verb



there’s no need to complex what should be a simple process for obtaining a building permit

Recent Examples on the Web



The toll of the WFH era Commercial real estate — offices, apartment complexes, warehouses and malls — has come under substantial pressure, my colleague Julia Horowitz reports.


Allison Morrow, CNN, 10 Apr. 2023





An apartment complex, West Intermediate School and West High School all opened within 500 feet.


USA Today, 10 Apr. 2023





Gardner Equipment has leased a 7,200–square-foot office warehouse complex on Ala. 59 in Loxley, adjacent to the new CEFCO convenience store and gas station under construction near U.S. 90, according to Herrington Realty, which handled the transaction.


Kathy Jumper, al, 10 Apr. 2023





The former Froedtert Malt complex, located a few blocks east of Miller Park Way at 3830 W. Grant St., is known for its towering grain elevators and other large structures.


Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2023





The sprawling park tucked into a quiet suburb of Sacramento includes a sports complex, public library, aquatics center and nature trails.


Rich Pedroncelli And Stefanie Dazio, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2023





There is a bacterium, a distant cousin of tuberculosis, called mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which can cause coughing, shortness of breath and phlegm production.


Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 6 Apr. 2023





The rental location is in plain sight of a huge vacation complex, home to a five-star hotel, seven restaurants and a high-end shopping area, with views across the harbor.


Kate Brady, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2023





The Houstons’ complex should be open by the end of June.


Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2023




In practice, the situation is more complex — with some ICC member states condemning the arrest warrant, and others having set a precedent of flouting the court’s orders.


Francesca Ebel, Robyn Dixon And Lauren Tierney, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Mar. 2023





Latest Women’s NCAA Tournament College Basketball Scores and Schedules The full story is a little more complex.


Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2023





This is a complex topic, but the preponderance of the research hasn’t found an especially high rate of emotional or behavioral problems among transracial adoptees.


Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2023





Developers and providers of LLMs need to hit pause on a frantic arms race that aims to churn out ever more complex models and should instead work with regulators on adopting frameworks for the ethical design and use of generative AI applications.


Stefan Harrer, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023





Hopefully, more complex gear and skills will reveal themselves further through the story.


Alessandro Fillari, Ars Technica, 22 Mar. 2023





Add basil to classic chimichurri for more complex flavor that will have dinner guests asking for your secret ingredient.


Elaine Johnson, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Mar. 2023





This helps to visualize geolocation when dealing with a large and complex family.


IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2023





The challenge is made even more complex when banks take a depositor’s money and invest it rather than lend.


Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2023



See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘complex.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

комплекс, совокупность, сложный, комплексный, осложнять

существительное

- комплекс; совокупность
- комплекс, группа (зданий и т. п.)

sports complex — спортивный комплекс

- психол. комплекс

inferiority complex — комплекс неполноценности

- (about) разг. закомплексованность, пунктик

he has a complex about his weight — он помешался на своём весе
she has a complex about snakes — она безумно боится змей

прилагательное

- сложный, составной, комплексный

complex machinery — сложные машины
complex apparatus — сложный аппарат
complex number — мат. комплексное число
complex ore — горн. сложная руда, полиметаллическая руда; труднообогатимая руда

- сложный, трудный, запутанный

complex idea [system] — сложная идея [система]
complex situation — сложное /запутанное/ положение
complex instructions — маловразумительные указания

- грам. сложный

complex object [attribute, adverbial modifier] — сложное дополнение [определение, обстоятельство]
complex sentence — сложноподчинённое предложение

глагол

- редк. собирать в одно целое
- осложнять

Мои примеры

Словосочетания

the complex mosaic of world cultures — сложная мозаика мировых культур  
a glib response to a complex question — поверхностный ответ на сложный вопрос  
a complex of hospital buildings — система корпусов больницы, больничный комплекс  
new industrial complex — новый промышленный комплекс  
manned space complex — пилотируемый орбитальный комплекс  
missile complex — стартовый комплекс  
complex web of relationships — сложная система взаимоотношений  
set complex — комплекс-множество  
immunostimulating complex — иском (-вакцина)  
transcriptional complex — транскрипционный комплекс  
vanadyl-ribonucleoside complex — ванадат-рибонуклеозидный комплекс  
clone complex — клональный комплекс  

Примеры с переводом

She has a complex about her big nose.

Она комплексует из-за большого носа.

The global economy is a complex organism.

Мировая экономика представляет собой сложный организм.

She usually answers complex and difficult questions fluently.

Она обычно без труда отвечает на сложные вопросы.

The office complex can house 25,000 people.

Офисный комплекс может вместить двадцать пять тысяч человек.

It was a very complex relationship between two complex people.

Это были очень запутанные отношения между двумя сложными людьми.

Proteins are by far the most complex chemical compounds.

Белки, безусловно, являются самыми сложными химическими соединениями.

A human being is a complex organism.

Человеческое существо представляет собой сложный организм.

ещё 23 примера свернуть

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

Their dreams commonly involved complex stories with visual imagery.

…newscasts that capsule complex, important stories into one-minute bits for easy digestion by viewers…

Let me introduce the word hypertext to mean a body of written or pictorial material interconnected in such a complex way that it could not conveniently be presented or represented on paper

Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке , напротив примера.

Возможные однокоренные слова

complexion  — цвет лица, вид, аспект
complexity  — сложность, запутанность, запутанное дело
complexify  — осложнять, усложнять, осложняться, усложняться

Формы слова

noun
ед. ч.(singular): complex
мн. ч.(plural): complexes

What do we mean by complex?

Consisting of interconnected or interwoven parts; composite. adjective

Composed of two or more units. adjective

Difficult to understand for being intricate or involved; complicated. adjective

Consisting of at least one bound form. Used of a word. adjective

Consisting of an independent clause and at least one other independent or dependent clause. Used of a sentence. adjective

A whole composed of interconnected or interwoven parts. noun

A building or group of buildings used for a single purpose. noun

In psychology, a group of related, often repressed ideas and impulses that compel characteristic or habitual patterns of thought, feelings, and behavior. No longer in scientific use. noun

An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear. noun

The combination of factors, symptoms, or signs of a disease or disorder that forms a syndrome. noun

Composed of interconnected parts; formed by a combination of simple things or elements; including two or more connected particulars; composite; not simple: as, a complex being; complex ideas; a complex term.

Involved; intricate; complicated; perplexing.

In the theory of numbers, any expression in the form ai + bj +, etc., where a, b, etc., are integers, and i, j, etc., are peculiar units.

To combine intricately; involve; mix up.

Anything consisting in or formed by the union of interconnected parts; especially, an assemblage of particulars related as parts of a system. noun

In geometry, a continuous, triply infinite system of infinite straight lines; the whole of any kind of forms in space fulfilling one condition: thus, all the lines that cut a given curve in space constitute a complex. noun

Composed of two or more parts; composite; not simple. adjective

Involving many parts; complicated; intricate. adjective

A network of interconnected systems.

A collection of buildings with a common purpose, such as a university or military base.

An assemblage of related things; a collection.

An abnormal mental condition caused by repressed emotions.

(by extension) A vehement, often excessive psychological dislike or fear of a particular thing.

A structure consisting of a central atom or molecule weakly connected to surrounding atoms or molecules.

A complex number.

When one believes that many people around one hates one. Urban Dictionary

Having many simple parts. Urban Dictionary

A hip new Urban Magazine identified by the tag line «Guns, Drugs and the Hamptons: Life on the Reservation» and reaturing (i) booty shaking, (ii) tips on locking in a winter wifey, (iii) choosing a delicious poultry product, and (iv) Jay-Z. The editor’s picks are marked with a red symbol in the shape of a hair pick that might be inserted into one’s afro. Urban Dictionary

See also xelpmoc. Basically think Dogbert technical assistance. He knows pretty much everything there is to know about the interweb but he won’t tell you because he hates you. He helped create warbucket Urban Dictionary

A system of representation, usually formalistic.
Characterized by having a discrete side usually a discrete end.
The attributive (adjectival) use of «complex» is identical to its functional (nominal) use. Urban Dictionary

One who hails Satan. Urban Dictionary

Something so complex, it’s not enough to say it’s complicated. Urban Dictionary

Forging together of a complex and complicated situation and/or person Urban Dictionary

Complex (meaning different) and complicated (meaning difficult) basically it means something that’s new, different, and confusing, such as a complexicated relationship or a person with a complexicated personality. Urban Dictionary

Getting a stiffy/ Going hard Urban Dictionary

Other forms: complexes

People who are really good at math can handle complex math problems. The rest of us are all set with simple stuff like the times tables. Use complex to refer to something that is not simple.

Something complex has two or more related parts, or is not simple in its structure. As a noun, a complex is a group of units, often a group of buildings. The adjective is stressed on the second syllable, but the noun is stressed on the first syllable. Complex is from Latin complexus, from complecti «to encircle or embrace.»

Definitions of complex

  1. adjective

    complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts

    “a
    complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody”

    “a
    complex mass of diverse laws and customs”

    Synonyms:

    difficult, hard

    not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

    compound

    composed of more than one part

    analyzable, decomposable

    capable of being partitioned

    Byzantine, convoluted, involved, knotty, tangled, tortuous

    highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious

    colonial, compound

    composed of many distinct individuals united to form a whole or colony

    complicated

    difficult to analyze or understand

    composite

    consisting of separate interconnected parts

    compound

    consisting of two or more substances or ingredients or elements or parts

    daedal

    complex and ingenious in design or function

    Gordian

    extremely intricate; usually in phrase `Gordian knot’

    interlacing, interlinking, interlocking, interwoven

    linked or locked closely together as by dovetailing

    intricate

    having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate

    labyrinthian, labyrinthine, mazy

    resembling a labyrinth in form or complexity

    multifactorial

    involving or depending on several factors or causes (especially pertaining to a condition or disease resulting from the interaction of many genes)

    multiplex

    having many parts or aspects

    thickening

    becoming more intricate or complex

Definitions of complex

  1. noun

    a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts

    “the
    complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town”

    synonyms:

    composite

    see moresee less

    types:

    hybrid

    a composite of mixed origin

    syndrome

    a complex of concurrent things

    type of:

    whole

    all of something including all its component elements or parts

  2. noun

    a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures

    synonyms:

    building complex

    see moresee less

    types:

    show 14 types…
    hide 14 types…
    college

    a complex of buildings in which an institution of higher education is housed

    industrial plant, plant, works

    buildings for carrying on industrial labor

    ribbon development

    building complex in a continuous row along a road

    bottling plant

    a plant where beverages are put into bottles with caps

    brewery

    a plant where beer is brewed by fermentation

    distillery, still

    a plant and works where alcoholic drinks are made by distillation

    factory, manufactory, manufacturing plant, mill

    a plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing

    mint

    a plant where money is coined by authority of the government

    packing plant, packinghouse

    a plant where livestock are slaughtered and processed and packed as meat products

    recycling plant

    a plant for reprocessing used or abandoned materials

    refinery

    an industrial plant for purifying a crude substance

    saltworks

    a plant where salt is produced commercially

    disposal plant, sewage disposal plant

    a plant for disposing of sewage

    smelter, smeltery

    an industrial plant for smelting

    type of:

    construction, structure

    a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts

  3. noun

    a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated

    synonyms:

    coordination compound

    see moresee less

    types:

    hydrochloride

    a complex consisting of an organic base in association with hydrogen chloride

    type of:

    chemical compound, compound

    (chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight

  4. noun

    (psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person’s behavior

    see moresee less

    types:

    Oedipal complex, Oedipus complex

    a complex of males; desire to possess the mother sexually and to exclude the father; said to be a source of personality disorders if unresolved

    Electra complex

    a complex of females; sexual attraction to the father

    inferiority complex

    a sense of personal inferiority arising from conflict between the desire to be noticed and the fear of being humiliated

    type of:

    feeling

    the experiencing of affective and emotional states

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘complex’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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