Other forms: overcomplicated; overcomplicating; overcomplicates
To overcomplicate something is to make it much more difficult than it needs to be. If your boss asks for a quick update on your progress, and you spend days building a 20-slide presentation, you're probably overcomplicating things.
Overcomplicating something usually involves adding unnecessary steps or tools to solve a problem that has a pretty simple solution. Need a new toaster to replace your old, broken one? If you spend weeks researching toasters, eating untoasted bread for breakfast, you're probably overcomplicating things. If you want to know if employees like the office snacks, so you have the IT department build a custom mobile app with a long, tedious employee survey — instead of just putting a thumbs-up or thumbs-down tally sheet by the kitchen door — you're probably overcomplicating things.