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complex

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com⋅plex

  [adj., v. kuhm-pleks, kom-pleks; n. kom-pleks]
–adjective
1. composed of many interconnected parts; compound; composite: a complex highway system.
2. characterized by a very complicated or involved arrangement of parts, units, etc.: complex machinery.
3. so complicated or intricate as to be hard to understand or deal with: a complex problem.
4. Grammar.
a. (of a word) consisting of two parts, at least one of which is a bound form, as childish, which consists of the word child and the bound form -ish.
b. complex sentence.
5. Mathematics. pertaining to or using complex numbers: complex methods; complex vector space.
–noun
6. an intricate or complicated association or assemblage of related things, parts, units, etc.: the entire complex of our educational system; an apartment complex.
7. Psychology. a system of interrelated, emotion-charged ideas, feelings, memories, and impulses that is usually repressed and that gives rise to abnormal or pathological behavior.
8. a fixed idea; an obsessive notion.
9. Mathematics.
a. an arbitrary set of elements of a group.
b. a collection of simplexes having specified properties.
10. Also called coordination compound. Chemistry. a compound in which independently existing molecules or ions of a nonmetal (complexing agent) form coordinate bonds with a metal atom or ion. Compare ligand (def. 2).
11. Biochemistry. an entity composed of molecules in which the constituents maintain much of their chemical identity: receptor-hormone complex, enzyme-substrate complex.
–verb (used with object)
12. Chemistry. to form a complex with.
–verb (used without object)
13. Chemistry. to form a complex.
Use complex in a Sentence
Origin:
1645–55; 1905–10 for def. 7; (adj.) < L complexus, ptp. of complectī, complectere to embrace, encompass, include, equiv. to complect- (see complect ) + -tus ptp. suffix; (n.) < LL complexus totality, complex (L: inclusion, grasping, embrace), equiv. to complect(ere) + -tus suffix of v. action; reanalysis of the L v. as “to intertwine (completely)” has influenced sense of the adj.

Related forms:
com⋅plex⋅ly, adverb
com⋅plex⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
3. knotty, tangled, labyrinthine. 6. network, web, tangle, labyrinth.

Antonyms:
2, 3. simple.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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com·plex   (kəm-plěks', kŏm'plěks')   
adj.  

    1. Consisting of interconnected or interwoven parts; composite.

    2. Composed of two or more units: a complex carbohydrate.

    3. Consisting of at least one bound form. Used of a word.

    4. Consisting of an independent clause and at least one other independent or dependent clause. Used of a sentence.

  2. Involved or intricate, as in structure; complicated.

  3. Grammar

    1. Consisting of at least one bound form. Used of a word.

    2. Consisting of an independent clause and at least one other independent or dependent clause. Used of a sentence.

n.   (kŏm'plěks')

  1. A whole composed of interconnected or interwoven parts: a complex of cities and suburbs; the military-industrial complex.

  2. In psychology, a group of related, often repressed ideas and impulses that compel characteristic or habitual patterns of thought, feelings, and behavior. No longer in scientific use.

  3. An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear.

  4. Medicine The combination of factors, symptoms, or signs of a disease or disorder that forms a syndrome.


[Latin complexus, past participle of complectī, to entwine; see complect.]
com·plex'ly adv., com·plex'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean having parts so interconnected as to make the whole perplexing. Complex implies a combination of many associated parts: The composer transformed a simple folk tune into a complex set of variations.
Complicated stresses elaborate relationship of parts: The party's complicated platform confused many voters.
Intricate refers to a pattern of intertwining parts that is difficult to follow or analyze: "No one could soar into a more intricate labyrinth of refined phraseology" (Anthony Trollope).
Involved stresses confusion arising from the commingling of parts and the consequent difficulty of separating them: The movie's plot was criticized as being too involved.
Tangled strongly suggests the random twisting of many parts: "Oh, what a tangled web we weave,/When first we practice to deceive!" (Sir Walter Scott).
Knotty stresses intellectual complexity leading to difficulty of solution or comprehension: Even the professor couldn't clarify the knotty point.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

complex 
c.1652, "composed of parts," from Fr. complexe, from L. complexus "surrounding, encompassing," pp. of complecti "to encircle, embrace," from com- "with" + plectere "to weave, braid, twine." The adj. meaning "not easily analyzed" is first recorded 1715. Psychological sense of "connected group of repressed ideas" was established by C.G. Jung, 1907.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1com·plex
Pronunciation: käm-'pleks, k&m-', 'käm-"
Function: adjective
1 : having many variedinterrelated parts, patterns, or elements and consequently hard to understand <complex behavior> complex personality> <complex plants and animals>
2 : formed by the union of simpler chemical substances <complex proteins>

Main Entry: 2com·plex
Pronunciation: 'käm-"pleks
Function: noun
1 : a group of repressed memories, desires, and ideas thatexert a dominant influence on the personality and behavior complex> —see CASTRATIONCOMPLEX, ELECTRA COMPLEX, INFERIORITYCOMPLEX, OEDIPUS COMPLEX, PERSECUTIONCOMPLEX, SUPERIORITY COMPLEX
2 : a group of chromosomes arranged or behaving in aparticular way —see GENE COMPLEX
3 : a chemical association of two or more species (as ions ormolecules) joined usually by weak electrostatic bonds rather than by covalent bonds
4 : the sum of the factors (as symptoms and lesions) characterizing a disease complex>

Main Entry: 3com·plex
Pronunciation: käm-'pleks, k&m-', 'käm-"
Function: transitive verb
1 : to form into a complexcomplexed with protein>
2 : CHELATE complex intransitive senses
: to form a complex complex with specific receptors>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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complex com·plex (kŏm'plěks')
n.

  1. A group of related, often repressed memories, thoughts, and impulses that compel characteristic or habitual patterns of feelings, thought, and behavior.

  2. The relatively stable combination of two or more ions or compounds into a larger structure without covalent binding.

  3. A composite of chemical or immunological structures.

  4. An entity made up of three or more interrelated components.

  5. A group of individual structures known or believed to be anatomically, embryologically, or physiologically related.

  6. The combination of factors, symptoms, or signs that forms a syndrome.

adj. (kəm-plěks', kŏm'plěks')

  1. Consisting of interconnected or interwoven parts; composite.

  2. Composed of two or more units.

  3. Relating to a group of individual structures known or considered to be anatomically, embryologically, or physiologically related.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

complex

in chemistry, a substance, either an ion or an electrically neutral molecule, formed by the union of simpler substances (as compounds or ions) and held together by forces that are chemical (i.e., dependent on specific properties of particular atomic structures) rather than physical. The formation of complexes has a strong effect on the behaviour of solutions. See also chemical association; coordination compound.

Learn more about complex with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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