Definition of COMPLICATE

complicate

Verb

  • make more complicated
    • "There was a new development that complicated the matter"
  • make more complex, intricate, or richer
  • To make complex; to modify so as to make something intricate or difficult.
  • To involve in a convoluted matter.

Adj

  • Intertwined.
  • Complex, complicated.

Examples

  • 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.

Origin / Etymology

First attested in the early 17ᵗʰ century; borrowed from Latin complicātus, perfect passive participle of complicō (“to fold together”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from con- (“together”) + plicō (“to fold, weave, knit”); see plaid, and compare complex. See also Middle English complicate (“involved”).

Scrabble Score: 18

complicate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
complicate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
complicate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 23

complicate: valid Words With Friends Word