What does "complex" mean?
A network of interconnected systems.
Complex
/ˈkɒmplɛks/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A network of interconnected systems.
- Grammar: complex is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abstruse, acculturation, advanced lab exercise, advanced level.
- Useful contrasts: easy, incomplex, noncomplex.
- Usage evidence: Their communication may be much more complex than we thought.
How to use "complex"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "complex" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "complex" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "complex" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "complex" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "complex" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abstruse" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "complex", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A network of interconnected systems.
"military–industrial complex"
- 2 a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures wordnet
- 3 A collection of buildings with a common purpose, such as a university or military base.
"The south polar region of Promethei Planum developed a Bermuda Triangle reputation. Satellites detected intermittent mass concentrations and magnetic field shifts. In 2148, prospectors working near Deseado Crater discovered an underground complex: a Prothean observation post. The odd phenomena were generated by the operation and discharge of a mass effect core, struggling to function despite fifty millennia of neglect."
- 4 a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts wordnet
- 5 An assemblage of related things; a collection.
"This parable of the wedding supper comprehends in it the whole complex of all the blessings and privileges exhibited by the gospel."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 (psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior wordnet
- 7 An assemblage of related things; a collection.; An organized cluster of thunderstorms.
- 8 a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated wordnet
- 9 An assemblage of related things; a collection.; A cluster of wildfires burning in the same vicinity.
"The fire complex began as two separate fires."
- 10 An assemblage of related things; a collection.; A group of closely related species, often distinguished only with difficulty by traditional morphological methods.
"Since then, a good deal of research has documented and concluded that the nominal species A. fraterculus actually comprises an unresolved complex of cryptic species."
- 11 A group of emotionally charged ideas or mental factors, unconsciously associated by the individual with a particular subject, arising from repressed instincts, fears, or desires and often resulting in mental abnormality.
"Jim has a real complex about working for a woman boss."
- 12 A group of emotionally charged ideas or mental factors, unconsciously associated by the individual with a particular subject, arising from repressed instincts, fears, or desires and often resulting in mental abnormality.; A fixed mental tendency or obsession.
- 13 A structure consisting of a central atom or molecule weakly connected to surrounding atoms or molecules, as for example coordination complexes in inorganic chemistry and protein complexes in biochemistry.
"Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:[…]. The evolutionary precursor of photosynthesis is still under debate, and a new study sheds light. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom."
- 14 A complex number.
"The interesting aspect here is that U₃ is irreducible, even though all irreps over the complexes are one-dimensional because ℤ₄ is abelian."
- 15 A multimorphemic word, one with several parts, one with affixes.
Verb
- 1 To form a complex with another substance. intransitive
- 2 To complicate. transitive
Adjective
- 1 Made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple.
"a complex being; a complex idea"
- 2 Not simple, easy, or straightforward; complicated.
"If, when the actual motions of the heavens are calculated in the best possible way, the process is complex and difficult, and if we are discontented at this, nature, and not the astronomer, must be the object of our displeasure."
- 3 Having the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is (by definition) the imaginary square root of −1.
"complex number"
- 4 Whose range is a subset of the complex numbers.
"complex function"
- 5 Whose coefficients are complex numbers; defined over the field of complex numbers.
"complex polynomial"
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- 6 A curve, polygon or other figure that crosses or intersects itself.
Adjective
- 1 complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts wordnet
- 2 difficult to analyze or understand wordnet
Synonyms
All synonyms abstruseacculturationadvanced lab exerciseadvanced leveladvanced mathematicsadvanced multiplication drills
Example
"Their communication may be much more complex than we thought."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "complex"?
Common synonyms include: abstruse, acculturation, advanced lab exercise, advanced level, advanced mathematics, advanced multiplication drills.
How do you use "complex" in a sentence?
Their communication may be much more complex than we thought.
How do you pronounce "complex"?
Pronounced /ˈkɒmplɛks/.
Etymology
From French complexe, from Latin complexus, past participle of complector (“I entwine, encircle, compass, infold”), from com- (“together”) and plectere (“to weave, braid”). May be analyzed as com- + -plex. See complect. Doublet of complexus.