complex
Hard to untangle
Complex describes something with many interconnected parts that make it difficult to understand or analyze: a complex system, complex emotions, the complex relationship between diet and health.
The word suggests intricacy rather than mere difficulty—a complex problem has layers that interweave.
As a noun, a complex is a group of related buildings or facilities (apartment complex, shopping complex), or in psychology, a cluster of repressed feelings that influence behavior: inferiority complex, Oedipus complex.
In chemistry, a complex is a compound of linked molecules.
Requiring much effort
- challengingHard to accomplish
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
- intricateElaborately detailed, many parts
- knottyComplex and difficult
perplexing · confusing · tangled · thorny · labyrinthine · puzzling · demanding · elaborate
Functional mental disorder
- fixationPersistent mental attachment
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- traumaLasting psychological wound
- phobiaPersistent irrational dread
repression · Oedipus · inferiority · superiority · persecution · anxiety · Freudian · Jungian
Of many types
- layeredHaving multiple levels
- variedDiffering in type
- nuancedHaving fine distinctions
- multidimensionalHaving many distinct aspects
kaleidoscopic · manifold · heterogeneous · composite · textured · interwoven · mosaic · spectrum
Combined into one
- ionCharged atom or molecule
- moleculeBonded atomic group
- coordinationOrganized cooperative movement
- ligandMolecule that binds centrally
chelate · metal · bond · reaction · synthesis · oxidation · transition · inorganic
Interconnected system
- infrastructureBasic physical systems
- frameworkUnderlying support system
- mechanismMeans by which something operates
- circuitryInterconnected electronic components
ecosystem · organism · apparatus · matrix · architecture · structure · configuration · hierarchy
Combined into one
- facilitySkill or equipped premises
- campusInstitutional grounds and buildings
- headquartersCentral command location
- estateProperty and grounds
enclave · precinct · installation · development · housing · industrial · commercial · residential
difficult
Requiring much effort
- challengingHard to accomplish
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
- intricateElaborately detailed, many parts
knotty · perplexing · confusing · tangled · thorny · labyrinthine · puzzling · demanding · elaborate · obscure
neurosis
Functional mental disorder
- fixationPersistent mental attachment
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- traumaLasting psychological wound
phobia · repression · Oedipus · inferiority · superiority · persecution · anxiety · Freudian · Jungian · unconscious
diverse
Of many types
multidimensional · kaleidoscopic · manifold · heterogeneous · composite · textured · interwoven · mosaic · spectrum · eclectic
compound
Combined into one
- ionCharged atom or molecule
- moleculeBonded atomic group
- coordinationOrganized cooperative movement
ligand · chelate · metal · bond · reaction · synthesis · oxidation · transition · inorganic · organic
network
Interconnected system
- infrastructureBasic physical systems
- frameworkUnderlying support system
- mechanismMeans by which something operates
circuitry · ecosystem · organism · apparatus · matrix · architecture · structure · configuration · hierarchy · interdependence
compound
Combined into one
- facilitySkill or equipped premises
- campusInstitutional grounds and buildings
- headquartersCentral command location
estate · enclave · precinct · installation · development · housing · industrial · commercial · residential · military
complexsimple
Free of complexity
basic · single · simplex · elementary · unitary
complexsimple
Free of complexity
easy · straightforward · uncomplicated · clear · obvious
complexsimple
Free of complexity
simplistic · unsophisticated · basic · crude · primitive
- it's complicatedDefies easy explanation
- apartment complexGroup of residential buildings
- sports complexesMulti-purpose athletic facility clusters
- God complexDelusion of supreme authority
- not complicatedEasy to understand
- inferiority complexChronic sense of inadequacy
complexity, complicated, complexion, complication, accomplice, complexes, complexly, complexed, complexions