Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
complicate. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
complicate, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
complicate in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
complicate you have here. The definition of the word
complicate will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
complicate, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin complicatus, past participle of complicare (“to fold together”), from com- (“together”) + plicare (“to fold, weave, knit”); see plaid, and compare complex.
Pronunciation
Verb
complicate (third-person singular simple present complicates, present participle complicating, simple past and past participle complicated)
- (transitive) To make complex; to modify so as to make something intricate or difficult.
1896, Arthur Edward Waite, “Chapter 14”, in Devil-Worship in France, or the Question of Lucifer:Let us, however, put aside for the moment the mendacities and forgeries which complicate the question of Lucifer, and let us approach Palladism from an altogether different side.
- (transitive) To involve in a convoluted matter.
Don't complicate yourself in issues that are beyond the scope of your understanding.
John has been complicated in the affair by new tapes that surfaced.
The DA has made every effort to complicate me in the scandal.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to combine intricately
- Arabic: تَعَقَّدَ (taʕaqqada), عَقَّدَ (ar) (ʕaqqada)
- Armenian: բարդացնել (hy) (bardacʻnel)
- Asturian: complicar
- Bulgarian: усложня́вам (bg) (usložnjávam)
- Catalan: complicar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 弄複雜 / 弄复杂 (nòng fùzá), 複雜化 / 复杂化 (zh) (fùzáhuà)
- Czech: komplikovat
- Danish: komplicere
- Dutch: compliceren (nl)
- Esperanto: kompliki (eo)
- French: compliquer (fr)
- Georgian: გაართულებს (gaartulebs)
- German: komplizieren (de)
- Hebrew: סיבך (sibékh)
- Hungarian: bonyolít (hu), komplikál (hu)
- Italian: complicare (it)
- Japanese: 複雑にする (fukuzatsu ni suru)
- Latvian: komplicēt, sarežģīt
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: komplisere
- Polish: komplikować (pl) impf, skomplikować pf
- Portuguese: complicar (pt)
- Romanian: complica (ro)
- Russian: усложня́ть (ru) impf (usložnjátʹ), усложни́ть (ru) pf (usložnítʹ), осложня́ть (ru) impf (osložnjátʹ), осложни́ть (ru) pf (osložnítʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: cuir tro-chèile
- Spanish: complicar (es), complejizar
- Swedish: komplicera (sv)
- Ukrainian: ускла́днювати impf (uskládnjuvaty), ускладни́ти pf (uskladnýty)
- Vietnamese: làm phức tạp
|
See also
Adjective
complicate (comparative more complicate, superlative most complicate)
- (obsolete) Intertwined.
- (now rare, poetic) Complex, complicated.
1745, Edward Young, Night-Thoughts, section I:How poor, how rich, how abject, how august, / How complicate, how wonderful, is Man!
Derived terms
Further reading
- “complicate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “complicate”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Italian
Etymology 1
Adjective
complicate
- feminine plural of complicato
Participle
complicate f pl
- feminine plural of complicato
Etymology 2
Verb
complicate
- inflection of complicare:
- second-person plural present indicative
- second-person plural imperative
Latin
Verb
complicāte
- second-person plural present active imperative of complicō
Spanish
Verb
complicate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of complicar combined with te