Their communication may be much more complex than we thought.
Source: tatoeba (1515)
Complex
/ˈkɒmplɛks/
Synonyms for "complex" (356 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (72)
abstruseacculturationamalgamatedambiguousambivalentamphibiousarduousbafflingballed upbewilderingbeyond oneblendedbrutalbusybyzantinecan of wormscastration complexchinese puzzlecivilizationcollectivity
Show 18 more words
Adjective(14 words)
advanced lab exerciseadvanced leveladvanced mathematicsadvanced multiplication drillsadvanced physics courseadvanced spanish classadvanced speakeradvanced-levelbyzantine artchaotic activity patterncomplicatedcompound operationcompound reactioncomputational complexity
Noun(16 words)
building complexbuildingschaotisch - dutchcisccoastal marine ecosystemcollectioncomplex information-processing taskcomplicatedcompositecompoundcompound a solutioncompound propositioncompound wordscompoundsconvolutedcoordination compound
Adjective(4 words)
Strong matches (106)
culture centerculture complexculture conflictculture contactculture patternculture traitdaedaldappleddeepdelicatedemandingdetaileddeviousdiana complexdifficiledifficultdistractingdisturbingeclecticelaborate
Show 53 more words
electra complexembodimentembrangledentangledentiretyequivocalethosexactingfacilityfancyfascinationfather complexfifty-fiftyfixationfixed ideafolkwayfolkwaysformidablefouled upgarbledgordiangordian knothairyhalf-and-halfhang uphang-uphardhard earnedhard foughthard to understandhard-earnedhard-foughtheavyherculeanheterogeneoushypercathexisidee fixeimplicatedindiscriminateinferiority complexintegerintegrationintegrityintricateinvoluteinvolutedinvolvedironicirresistible impulsejawbreakingjumbledjunglekey trait
Adjective(18 words)
deep sadnessdense academic languagedense massdense materialsdense urban ecosystemdensestdiabolicaldynamic computer modelfacettedhigh levelhigh-levelimaginary animalinterwoven designintricate designintricate embroideryintricate fabric patternintricate flower patternintricate weaves
Noun(10 words)
deep watersdense drill rowsdifficult decisiondifficult to learnengineeringfiligreeinggrouphard to dointricateinvolved
Adjective(5 words)
Related words (178)
knotknottedknottylaboriouslabyrinthlabyrinthianlabyrinthineloused upmany sidedmany-facetedmany-sidedmattedmazemazymeanmeandermeanderingmedleymeshmess
Show 98 more words
messed upmingledmiscellaneousmixedmixed upmixed-upmonomaniamorbid drivemoresmother complexmotleymucked upmultifacetedmultifariousmultinationalmultiracialmysteriousmystifyingnetworkniceno picnicnot easyobfuscatedobscureobscuredobsessionobsessive compulsionoedipus complexonenessoperoseorganic unityovertechnicalparent complexpatchyperplexperplexedperplexingpersecution complexpluralisticpossessionpreoccupationprepossessionpricklypromiscuouspuzzlingramifiedravelreticularrigorousroughroundaboutrube goldberg contraptionruggedruling passionscrambledscrewed upserpentineset with thornsseveresnafusnake pitsnarlsnarledsocietysophisticatedspinysteepstrenuousstructuresubtlesuperiority complexsyncreticsystemtangletangledtangled skeintanglytechnicalthornythrown togetherticticklishtoilsometotalitytoughtraittrait-complextrickytwistedunityuphillvaguevariedwebworkwheels within wheelswholewickedwilderness
Adjective(26 words)
knottierknottiestlanguage-impedinglayeredmeatiestmulti elementmulticellular organism complexitymulticellular structuremultiple forces modelmultitudinousnonlinearnonlinear dynamicsnuancedpeludopolycellularsophisticated culturespecialized studyswampytechnical manualtechnical system
Adjective(5 words)
Noun(23 words)
kremlinmath challengingmore advancedmore challenging tasksmore compoundmost advancedmost advanced learnersmost texturalmulti element combinationmulti-plymultifacetedneurosisnuanced detailpatternplexusracetracksravelingriver valley civilizationsentence combiningset
Adverb(2 words)
more advanced conceptsmore multicellular complexity
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abstruse, acculturation, advanced lab exercise, advanced level, advanced mathematics.
- Sentence evidence is available for complex, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, wordnet, opengloss, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "complex".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "complex"
Keep "complex" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "complex" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "complex", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "complex" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
11 entrieschemical compoundcompoundconstructiondescriptorfeelingpsychology conceptqualitysitestructuresystemwhole
More specific
10 entriesapartment complexelaborate planinferiority complexintricate designmother complexmultifaceted problemoffice complexproblem complexresidential complextopic complex
Collocations
11 entriesapartment complexcomplex diagramcomplex instructionscomplex problemcomplex sentencecomplex systemhousing complexoffice complexresidential complexshopping complexsports complex
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
27 entriesShowing 16 of 27 words.
Translations
63 translations across 36 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- عُقْدَة noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Armenian
4 entries- կոմպլեքս adj (in mathematics)
- բարդույթ noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
- լրակազմ noun (assemblage of related things, collection)
- համալիր noun (assemblage of related things, collection)
Basque
1 entries- konplexu adj (in mathematics)
Bulgarian
2 entries- комплексен adj (in mathematics)
- комплекс noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Catalan
2 entries- complex adj (in mathematics)
- complex noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 複 /复 adj (in mathematics)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 複 /复 adj (in mathematics)
- 情結 /情结 noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Czech
2 entries- komplexní adj (in mathematics)
- komplex noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Danish
1 entries- kompleks adj (in mathematics)
Dutch
1 entries- complex adj (in mathematics)
Esperanto
1 entries- kompleksa adj (in mathematics)
Finnish
3 entries- kompleksi- adj (in mathematics)
- kompleksi noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
- ryhmä noun (assemblage of related things, collection)
French
2 entries- complexe adj (in mathematics)
- complexe noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Galician
2 entries- complexo adj (in mathematics)
- complexo noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Georgian
1 entries- კომპლექსური adj (in mathematics)
German
3 entries- komplex adj (in mathematics)
- Komplex noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
- Komplex noun (assemblage of related things, collection)
Greek
2 entries- μιγαδικός adj (in mathematics)
- σύμπλεγμα noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Hindi
2 entries- समिश्र adj (in mathematics)
- मनोग्रंथि noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Hungarian
4 entries- komplex adj (in mathematics)
- együttes noun (assemblage of related things, collection)
- komplexus noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
- összesség noun (assemblage of related things, collection)
Indonesian
1 entries- kompleks noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Italian
2 entries- complesso adj (in mathematics)
- complesso noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Japanese
2 entries- 複素 adj (in mathematics)
- コンプレックス noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Korean
1 entries- 콤플렉스 noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Malay
1 entries- kompleks noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Persian
1 entries- عقده noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Polish
2 entries- zespolony adj (in mathematics)
- kompleks noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Portuguese
2 entries- complexo adj (in mathematics)
- complexo noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Romanian
1 entries- complex adj (in mathematics)
Russian
2 entries- ко́мплексный adj (in mathematics)
- ко́мплекс noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Spanish
2 entries- complexo adj (in mathematics)
- complejo noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Swedish
2 entries- komplex adj (in mathematics)
- komplex noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Thai
1 entries- เชิงซ้อน adj (in mathematics)
Turkish
1 entries- karmaşık adj (in mathematics)
Ukrainian
2 entries- ко́мплексний adj (in mathematics)
- ко́мплекс noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Urdu
1 entries- مَخْلُوط adj (in mathematics)
Vietnamese
2 entries- mặc cảm noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
- phức cảm noun (psychologically based dislike or fear)
Sample sentences
29 total sentences available.
What seems simple to you seems complex to me.
Source: tatoeba (17504)
How complex?
Source: tatoeba (37599)
DNA is a complex chemical that makes up a gene.
Source: tatoeba (39580)
Showing 4 of 29 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "complex"?
Closest matches include abstruse, acculturation, advanced lab exercise, advanced level, advanced mathematics.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "complex"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.