complication
Wrench in plans
A complication is something that makes a situation more difficult or complex than it would otherwise be.
Medical complications are problems arising during treatment or recovery: Pneumonia is a common complication of the flu.
In storytelling, a complication introduces conflict or obstacles.
The plural often signals a messy situation: There were complications with the divorce.
State of being hard
- setbackReverse in progress
- hindranceBarrier to progress
- impedimentThing that obstructs progress
- hitchTemporary difficulty or snag
snag · hurdle · barrier · stumbling block · holdup · delay · disruption · glitch
State of elaborate complexity
- entanglementState of being intertwined
- convolutionTwisting or mathematical integration
- webInterwoven filament structure
- labyrinthIntricate passage network
knot · tangle · maze · nuance · layer · multifaceted · elaborate · nested
Indicator of disease
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
- prognosisPredicted disease course
- infectionPathogen invasion causing illness
- inflammationProtective tissue response
condition · disorder · sequela · relapse · deterioration · secondary infection · postoperative · recovery
Source of potential harm
- dangerExposure to harm
- perilSerious threat of harm
- exposureState of being unprotected
- vulnerabilityOpenness to harm
uncertainty · contingency · precariousness · jeopardy · pitfall · liability · threat · consequence
Rotating motion or surprise
- subplotSubordinate narrative strand
- conflictOpposition between parties
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
- developmentProgress toward maturity
revelation · tension · dramatic irony · love triangle · betrayal · deception · secret · scheme
difficulty
State of being hard
- setbackReverse in progress
- hindranceBarrier to progress
- impedimentThing that obstructs progress
hitch · snag · hurdle · barrier · stumbling block · holdup · delay · disruption · glitch · bottleneck
intricacy
State of elaborate complexity
- entanglementState of being intertwined
- convolutionTwisting or mathematical integration
- webInterwoven filament structure
labyrinth · knot · tangle · maze · nuance · layer · multifaceted · elaborate · nested · interconnected
symptom
Indicator of disease
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
- prognosisPredicted disease course
- infectionPathogen invasion causing illness
inflammation · condition · disorder · sequela · relapse · deterioration · secondary infection · postoperative · recovery · morbidity
hazard
Source of potential harm
vulnerability · uncertainty · contingency · precariousness · jeopardy · pitfall · liability · threat · consequence · repercussion
twist
Rotating motion or surprise
- subplotSubordinate narrative strand
- conflictOpposition between parties
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
development · revelation · tension · dramatic irony · love triangle · betrayal · deception · secret · scheme · machination
- medical outcomessurvival rate, cure rate, mortality, death rate, remission
- medicinedoctor, doctors, hospital, medicine, surgery
- delaysdelays, delay, delayed, postponement, postpone
- Medical Eventssurgery, diagnosis, treatment, procedure, operation
- plotplot, storyline, subplot, climax, narrative
- plot devicesMacGuffin, red herring, plot twist, flashback, foreshadowing
complicationsimplicity
Lack of complexity
simplification · simpleness · straightforwardness · plainness · clarity
complicationease
Lack of strain
simplicity · smoothness · facilitation · solution · resolution
complicationrecovery
Regaining what was lost
wellness · health · healing · improvement · healthiness
- birth complicationsDangerous events during delivery
- pregnancy complicationsHealth problems during gestation
- flu complicationsMedical problems following influenza
- surgical complicationsNegative outcomes from procedures