complex

English Online Dictionary. What means complex‎? What does complex mean?

English

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.

Pronunciation

Adjective

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒm.plɛks/, /kəmˈplɛks/
• (US) enPR: kəmplĕks, kŏm'plĕks; IPA^(key): /kɑmˈplɛks/, /kəmˈplɛks/, /ˈkɑmplɛks/
• Rhymes: -ɛks

Noun

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒm.plɛks/
• (US) enPR: kŏm'plĕks, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑmplɛks/

Adjective

complex (comparative more complex, superlative most complex)

1. Made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple.

   a complex being; a complex idea
2. Not simple, easy, or straightforward; complicated.

   Synonyms: complicated, detailed, difficult, hard, intricate, involved, tough; see also Thesaurus:complex

   Antonyms: basic, easy, simple, simplex, straightforward; see also Thesaurus:easy
3. (mathematics, of a number) 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

   function of a complex variable

4. (mathematics, mathematical analysis, of a function) Whose range is a subset of the complex numbers.

   complex function

5. (mathematics, algebra) Whose coefficients are complex numbers; defined over the field of complex numbers.

   complex polynomial

   complex algebraic variety

6. (geometry) A curve, polygonderi or other figure that crosses or intersects itself.

Derived terms

Related terms

• complexion
• (mathematics): symplectic

Translations

Noun

complex (plural complexes or (nonstandard) complices)

1. A problem. (clarification of this definition is needed)
2. A network of interconnected systems.

   military-industrial complex

3. A collection of buildings with a common purpose, such as a university or military base.
4. An assemblage of related things; a collection.
   1. An organized cluster of thunderstorms.
   2. A cluster of wildfires burning in the same vicinity.
   3. (taxonomy) A group of closely related species, often distinguished only with difficulty by traditional morphological methods.

      Synonyms: species complex, species group, species aggregate

      Hyponyms: species flock, superspecies
5. (psychoanalysis) A collection of ideas caused by repressed emotions that leads to an abnormal mental condition

   Synonym: constellation

6. (informal, by extension) A vehement, often excessive psychological dislike or fear of a particular thing.

7. (chemistry) 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.
8. (mathematics) A complex number.
9. (linguistics) A multimorphemic word, one with several parts, one with affixes.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

complex (third-person singular simple present complexes, present participle complexing, simple past and past participle complexed)

1. (chemistry, intransitive) To form a complex with another substance
2. (transitive) To complicate.

Translations

Further reading

• “complex”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “complex”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “complex”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin complexus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kumˈplɛks]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [komˈplɛks]

Adjective

complex (feminine complexa, masculine plural complexos, feminine plural complexes)

1. complex (made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple)

   Synonym: compost

   Antonyms: simple, senzill

2. complex (complicated, not simple, easy or straightforward)

   Synonyms: complicat, embolicat

   Antonyms: simple, senzill

Derived terms

• nombre complex

Related terms

• complexitat

Noun

complex m (plural complexos)

1. collection (a set of things or parts related to each other)
2. complex (e.g. of buildings)
3. (psychoanalysis, psychology, chemistry) complex
4. (mathematics) complex number, complex

Further reading

• “complex”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
• “complex”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “complex” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “complex” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French complexe or German komplex, from Latin complexus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔmˈplɛks/
• Hyphenation: com‧plex
• Rhymes: -ɛks

Adjective

complex (comparative complexer, superlative meest complex or complext)

1. complex (composite)
2. complex (complicated)
3. (mathematics) complex (containing an imaginary component or involving imaginary numbers)

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Indonesian: kompleks

Noun

complex n (plural complexen, diminutive complexje n)

1. complex (collection of buildings or facilities with a common purpose)
2. (psychoanalysis) complex (abnormal mental state caused by repression)

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• → Indonesian: kompleks

Latin

Etymology

From con- +‎ plicō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkɔm.pɫɛks]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkɔm.pleks]

Adjective

complex (genitive complicis); third-declension one-termination adjective

1. closely connected, confederate, participant
2. of the twelve Olympians (Jūnō, Vesta, Minerva, Cerēs, Dīana, Venus, Mārs, Mercurius, Jūpiter, Neptūnus, Vulcānus, Apollō)

   Synonym: cōnsēns

Declension

Third-declension one-termination adjective.

Notes

1. No direct connection to the English adjective complex, which is from Latin complexus with an etymologically related, yet different stem.
2. The twelve Olympians were also called dī complicēs.

Noun

complex m or f (genitive complicis); third declension

1. participant, confederate, accomplice

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Descendants

• Italian: complice
• Spanish: cómplice
• Portuguese: cúmplice
• French: complice
• → German: Komplize
• → Romanian: complice
• → English: complice
  • English: accomplice

References

• “complex”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• "complices", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• complex in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French complexe, from Latin complexus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [komˈpleks]

Adjective

complex m or n (feminine singular complexă, masculine plural complecși, feminine and neuter plural complexe)

1. complex

   Antonym: simplu

Declension

Related terms

• complexitate

Further reading

• “complex”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025