complicate

Complicate is a transitive verb meaning to make something more difficult or less straightforward, and by extension to confuse or perplex. It is often used when additional factors, rules, or conditions add complexity to a situation. The noun form complication refers to an element that increases difficulty or to an unforeseen problem, especially in medical contexts or in project planning.

Etymology and forms: The word comes from Middle English complicaten, from Latin complicare “to fold together,” from com- “together” and plicare “to fold.” Related forms include complicated (adjective), complicating (present participle), and complication (noun).

Usage: In everyday language, one might say that an extra requirement can complicate travel plans. In business or law, regulatory changes can complicate compliance and negotiations. In medicine, a complication is an unfavorable development arising during illness or after a procedure, such as an infection or organ dysfunction.

Semantics and collocations: Complicate emphasizes adding difficulty or ambiguity; to simplify or clarify is often the opposite. Common collocations include complicate matters, complicating factors, and to complicate the issue. Synonyms include entangle, confuse, muddle, and worsen; antonyms include simplify and clarify.

See also: complexity, complication, complicated.