complex

One entry found for complex.

Main Entry: ²com·plex
Pronunciation: käm-'pleks, k&m-', 'käm-"
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin complexus, past participle of complecti to embrace, comprise (a multitude of objects), from com- + plectere to braid -- more at PLY
1 a : composed of two or more parts : COMPOSITE b (1) of a word : having a bound form as one or more of its immediate constituents <unmanly is a complex word> (2) of a sentence : consisting of a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses
2 : hard to separate, analyze, or solve
3 : of, concerned with, being, or containing complex numbers <a complex root> <complex analysis>
- com·plex·ly adverb
- com·plex·ness noun
synonyms COMPLEX, COMPLICATED, INTRICATE, INVOLVED, KNOTTY 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>. COMPLICATED applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining <complicated legal procedures>. INTRICATE suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately <an intricate web of deceit>. INVOLVED implies extreme complication and often disorder <a rambling, involved explanation>. KNOTTY suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable <knotty ethical questions>.