complex

7 definitions • 15 examples

involving a lot of different but related parts:

a complex molecule/carbohydrate

a complex network of roads

a complex procedure

The company has a complex organizational structure.

difficult to understand or find an answer to because of having many different parts:

It's a very complex issue to which there is no straightforward answer.

The film's plot was so complex that I couldn't follow it.

a large building with various connected rooms or a related group of buildings:

a shopping/sports and leisure complex

US They live in a large apartment complex.

a particular anxiety or unconscious fear that a person has, especially as a result of an unpleasant experience that they have had in the past or because they have a low opinion of their own worth:

an inferiority complex

I think he's got a complex about being bald.

Don't go on about her weight - you'll give her a complex!

having many parts related to each other in ways that may be difficult to understand:

a complex surgical procedure

The question of who is legally responsible is a complex issue.

a group of buildings that are related, or a large building having different parts:

an apartment complex for elderly people

a group of attitudes and feelings that influence a person’s behavior, often in a negative way:

an inferiority complex