INDEX:
1. having a lot of different parts and difficult to understand
2. a complicated official system
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ SIMPLE
see also
↑ DIFFICULT
↑ PROBLEM
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1. having a lot of different parts and difficult to understand
▷ complicated /ˈkɒmplɪkeɪtəd, ˈkɒmpləkeɪtədǁˈkɑːm-/ [adjective]
consisting of a lot of different parts or details and therefore difficult to understand :
▪ I didn’t realize programming the VCR would be so complicated.
▪ The brain is like a very powerful, very complicated computer.
▪ the complicated problem of bringing peace to the Middle East
▷ complex /ˈkɒmpleksǁˌkɑːmˈpleks/ [adjective]
a complex process or system is difficult to understand because it has a lot of parts that are all connected in different ways :
▪ The chemical processes involved in the experiment are extremely complex.
▪ The seminar focuses on the complex relationship between government, the military, and the media.
complexity /kəmˈpleksɪti, kəmˈpleksəti/ [uncountable noun]
▪ I don’t think you fully understood the complexity of his argument.
▷ intricate /ˈɪntrɪkɪt, ˈɪntrɪkət/ [adjective]
having a lot of small parts or details - use this especially about something that is cleverly designed or made :
▪ Lasers are used to cut intricate designs in wood.
▪ The farmers use an intricate system of drainage canals.
▪ the intricate workings of a watch
▪ intricate patterns of coloured marble
▷ elaborate /ɪˈlæb ə rɪt, ɪˈlæb ə rət/ [adjective]
having a lot of parts or details and very carefully planned, but often more complicated than is necessary :
▪ Mike had worked out an elaborate system for categorizing his collection of CDs.
▪ Sociologists have been coming up with increasingly elaborate theories to explain unsafe sexual practices.
▷ involved /ɪnˈvɒlvdǁ-ˈvɑːlvd/ [adjective usually before noun]
very long and complicated - use this about a system, description, or explanation that you think should be made simpler :
▪ The system for choosing candidates is very involved, and I won’t go into it here.
▪ Adopting a child can be a long involved process.
▷ tortuous /ˈtɔːʳtʃuəs/ [adjective]
much too long and complicated, and therefore confusing and annoying :
▪ The book begins with a long, tortuous introduction.
▪ At last, an end to the tortuous negotiations was in sight.
▷ convoluted /ˌkɒnvəˈluːtɪd◂, ˌkɒnvəˈluːtəd◂ǁˌkɑːn-/ [adjective]
too complicated and difficult to understand - use this especially about someone’s language or arguments, or about a system :
▪ He always uses a lot of convoluted arguments to support his theories, but no one’s ever impressed.
▪ James’s books are full of long paragraphs and convoluted sentences, which many people do not find appealing.
2. a complicated official system
▷ bureaucracy /bjʊ ə ˈrɒkrəsiǁ-ˈrɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
a complicated, official system in which there are a lot of rules and processes that you have to complete, especially one that employs a lot of people :
▪ The EU bureaucracy in Brussels has grown in size and authority.
▪ We need less bureaucracy in the school system - teachers should be allowed to make more decisions.
▷ bureaucratic /ˌbjʊ ə rəˈkrætɪk◂/ [adjective]
involving a lot of complicated official rules and processes :
▪ The procedure for getting funding approval is so bureaucratic!
bureaucratic nightmare
official system that is extremely complicated and annoying
▪ Trying to enforce the law regulating the length of passenger buses has been a bureaucratic nightmare.
▷ red tape /ˌred ˈteɪp/ [uncountable noun]
complicated and annoying official rules that you have to obey before you can do or have something :
▪ There’s so much red tape involved in getting a work permit.
cut through red tape
avoid it
▪ There must be a way to cut through all this red tape.