# complex

Pronunciation: US say "kom-PLEKS" /kɑmˈplɛks/; UK say "KOM-pleks" /ˈkɒm.plɛks/

## Adjective

1. Difficult to understand or deal with because it is not simple or straightforward; complicated.
   - Simple: Hard to understand or deal with because it has many parts or details.
   - _The negotiations grew increasingly complex as more parties joined the table._
   - _She gave a complex answer that took several minutes to unpack._
3. Made up of multiple connected parts rather than a single whole; composite.
   - Simple: Made of many different parts joined together rather than a single piece.
   - _Proteins are complex molecules built from long chains of amino acids._
   - _The orchestra produced a complex sound from dozens of instruments at once._
7. In mathematics, of a number, or a function, matrix, or polynomial: being or involving numbers with a real and an imaginary part.
   - Simple: In mathematics, using numbers made of a real part and an imaginary part.
   - _The polynomial's complex roots come in conjugate pairs._
   - _Engineers use complex impedance to model alternating-current circuits._

## Noun

Pronunciation: say "KOM-pleks" US /ˈkɑmplɛks/, UK /ˈkɒm.plɛks/

2. A group of buildings that serve a shared purpose, such as a university or military base.
   - Simple: A group of buildings that are used together for one purpose.
   - _The hospital complex covers three city blocks and employs thousands of staff._
   - _Visitors must sign in at the gate before entering the research complex._
4. A group of emotionally charged, often unconscious ideas or an obsession about a subject that shapes a person's feelings and behavior.
   - Simple: A strong worry or fixed feeling about something that affects how a person thinks and acts.
   - _Years of criticism left him with a deep inferiority complex._
   - _Her guilt complex made it impossible to enjoy any of her successes._
5. A chemical unit formed when two or more atoms, ions, or molecules bind together, such as a metal ion bonded to surrounding ligands in a coordination compound, or protein subunits joined in a protein complex.
   - Simple: A chemical unit of atoms or molecules held together, like a metal atom surrounded by molecules, or proteins joined as one.
   - _The metal ion forms a stable complex with six ammonia ligands._
   - _Hemoglobin is a protein complex that carries oxygen through the bloodstream._
6. A group of related or interconnected things or systems considered or functioning together as a whole.
   - Simple: A group of connected things that work or are thought of together.
   - _Historians study the complex of customs that shaped medieval village life._
   - _The report describes a complex of factors driving the recent price increase._
8. A group of closely related species that are often difficult to tell apart using traditional physical features.
   - Simple: A group of very similar species that are hard to tell apart.
   - _DNA testing showed that the lizards on the island form a complex of several look-alike species._
   - _Taxonomists revised the complex after DNA analysis revealed hidden diversity._

## Verb

9. To combine with another substance and form a complex held together by chemical bonds.
   - Simple: To join together with another substance to form one bigger chemical unit.
   - _Heavy metals complex with organic molecules in the soil._
   - _The reagent complexes with calcium to give a colored product._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A number having both a real part and an imaginary part, written in the form a + bi.
- (noun) A group of wildfires burning near one another, often managed together as a single event.
- (noun) An organized cluster of thunderstorms acting together as a single weather system.
- (verb) To make something more complicated, adding difficulty or extra detail to it.
- (noun) A word built from several meaningful parts, such as a root combined with one or more affixes.
- (adjective) Of a curve or polygon, crossing or intersecting itself rather than staying simple.

## Origin

From French complexe, from Latin complexus, the past participle of complector ("I entwine, encircle, infold"), formed from com- ("together") and plectere ("to weave, braid").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/complex (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).