complex - Definition | Dictionary definition of complex

Definition of complex

complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts

"a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody"

"a complex mass of diverse laws and customs"

Synonyms:: difficult, hard
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; compound
composed of more than one part; analyzable, decomposable
capable of being partitioned; Byzantine, convoluted, involved, knotty, tangled, tortuous
highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious; colonial
composed of many distinct individuals united to form a whole or colony; complicated
difficult to analyze or understand; composite
consisting of separate interconnected parts; daedal
complex and ingenious in design or function; Gordian
extremely intricate; usually in phrase `Gordian knot'; interlacing, interlinking, interlocking, interwoven
linked or locked closely together as by dovetailing; intricate
having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate; labyrinthian, labyrinthine, mazy
resembling a labyrinth in form or complexity; multifactorial
involving or depending on several factors or causes (especially pertaining to a condition or disease resulting from the interaction of many genes); multiplex
having many parts or aspects; thickening
becoming more intricate or complex

Antonyms:: simple
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved; easy
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort; plain
not elaborate or elaborated; simple; unsubdivided
(botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions; simplex
having only one part or element; simplistic
characterized by extreme and often misleading simplicity; unanalyzable, undecomposable
representing the furthest possible extent of analysis or division into parts; uncomplicated, unsophisticated
lacking complexity; show more antonyms...

a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts

"the complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town"

Types:: hybrid
a composite of mixed origin; syndrome
a complex of concurrent things

Type of:: whole
all of something including all its component elements or parts

a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated

Types:: hydrochloride
a complex consisting of an organic base in association with hydrogen chloride

Type of:: chemical compound, compound
(chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight

(psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior

Types:: Oedipal complex, Oedipus complex
a complex of males; desire to possess the mother sexually and to exclude the father; said to be a source of personality disorders if unresolved; Electra complex
a complex of females; sexual attraction to the father; inferiority complex
a sense of personal inferiority arising from conflict between the desire to be noticed and the fear of being humiliated

a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures

Examples:: Dartmouth College
a college in New Hampshire; United States Mint
the mint that manufactures and distributes United States coins for circulation through Federal Reserve Banks; processes gold and silver bullion

Types:: show 14 types...; hide 14 types...; college
a complex of buildings in which an institution of higher education is housed; industrial plant, plant, works
buildings for carrying on industrial labor; bottling plant
a plant where beverages are put into bottles with caps; brewery
a plant where beer is brewed by fermentation; distillery, still
a plant and works where alcoholic drinks are made by distillation; factory, manufactory, manufacturing plant, mill
a plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing; mint
a plant where money is coined by authority of the government; packing plant, packinghouse
a plant where livestock are slaughtered and processed and packed as meat products; recycling plant
a plant for reprocessing used or abandoned materials; refinery
an industrial plant for purifying a crude substance; saltworks
a plant where salt is produced commercially; disposal plant, sewage disposal plant
a plant for disposing of sewage; smelter, smeltery
an industrial plant for smelting; ribbon development
building complex in a continuous row along a road