I. com ‧ plex 1 S3 W2 AC /ˈkɒmpleks $ ˌkɑːmˈpleks◂/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ complexity ; adjective : ↑ complex ]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: complexus , past participle of complecti 'to include (many different things)' , from com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + plectere ( , ↑ plexus ) ]
1 . consisting of many different parts and often difficult to understand SYN complicated OPP simple :
a complex system of highways
Photosynthesis is a highly complex process.
Peter seemed to have an instant understanding of the most complex issues.
It was a very complex relationship between two complex people.
2 . technical a complex word or sentence contains a main part and one or more other parts ⇨ compound
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THESAURUS
▪ complicated consisting of a lot of different parts or details and therefore difficult to understand:
The rules of the game seemed very complicated.
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I didn’t realize programming the VCR would be so complicated.
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The brain is like a very powerful, very complicated computer.
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a complicated issue
▪ complex a complex process, relationship etc is difficult to understand because it has a lot of parts that are all connected in different ways:
The chemical processes involved are extremely complex.
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the complex relationship between government and the media
▪ elaborate 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 DVDs.
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The plan to kidnap her had become even more elaborate.
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Sociologists have been coming up with increasingly elaborate theories to explain unsafe sexual practices.
▪ involved very long and complicated – use this especially about something that you think should be made simpler:
The system for choosing candidates is very involved, and I won’t go into it here.
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Adopting a child can be a long involved process.
▪ convoluted too complicated and difficult to understand – used especially about someone’s language or arguments, or about a system:
convoluted sentences
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Procedures for government funding have become more convoluted.
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James’s books are full of long paragraphs and convoluted sentences, which many people do not find appealing.
▪ intricate having a lot of small parts or details – used especially about something that is cleverly designed or made:
Lasers are used to cut intricate designs in the metal.
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The farmers use an intricate system of drainage canals.
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the intricate workings of a watch
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intricate patterns of coloured marble
II. com ‧ plex 2 AC /ˈkɒmpleks $ ˈkɑːm-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . a group of buildings, or a large building with many parts, used for a particular purpose:
The town has one of the best leisure complexes in the country.
a three-story apartment complex
2 . a complex of something formal a large number of things which are closely related:
China was a complex of different societies.
3 . an emotional problem in which someone is unnecessarily anxious about something or thinks too much about something:
I used to have a complex about my looks.
⇨ ↑ inferiority complex , ↑ Oedipus complex , ↑ persecution complex
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COLLOCATIONS
■ types of complex
▪ a leisure complex (=where you can play sports or relax)
The new leisure complex includes a swimming pool, a sauna and a gym.
▪ a shopping complex
Some old buildings were pulled down to make space for a new shopping complex.
▪ a sports complex
The sports complex also has six tennis courts.
▪ an entertainment complex (=with cinemas, restaurants and other places to go)
There are plans for an entertainment complex with cinemas and a bowling alley.
▪ a holiday complex (=one where people go for holidays)
The lively holiday complex has plenty of nightclubs, bars, and restaurants.
▪ a housing/residential complex (=for people to live in)
Architects designed the residential complexes near the beach.
▪ a retail/commercial complex (=for shops, businesses, or industries)
a ten-screen movie theater and retail complex
▪ an office/museum/hospital etc complex
a 120-acre office complex near Las Vegas
▪ an apartment complex American English
a luxury apartment complex on Fulton Street
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THESAURUS
▪ building a structure such as a house, church, or factory, that has a roof and walls:
The college needs money to pay for new buildings.
▪ property formal a building or piece of land, or both together - used especially when talking about buying and selling buildings or land:
The next property they looked at was too small.
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The company received permission to build six residential properties on the land.
▪ premises formal the buildings and land that a shop, restaurant, company etc uses:
You are not allowed to drink alcohol on the premises.
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The bread is baked on the premises.
▪ complex a group of buildings, or a large building with many parts, used for a particular purpose:
The town has one of the best leisure complexes in the country.
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a luxury apartment complex
▪ development a group of new buildings that have all been planned and built together on the same piece of land:
a new housing development
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a huge industrial development
▪ block especially British English a large tall building that contains apartments or offices, or is part of a school, university, or hospital:
an office block
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a block of flats
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a tower block (=a very tall building - often used disapprovingly)
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My next lecture is in the science block.
▪ facility especially American English a place or building used for a particular activity or industry:
a research facility on campus
▪ edifice formal a large building, especially one that is tall and impressive - a very formal use:
Their head office was an imposing edifice.
▪ structure formal something that has been made to stand upright - used especially when talking about buildings:
The stone arch is one of the town’s oldest existing structures.
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an immense barn-like structure
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Mogul calls this building, designed by Donald and John Parkinson in 1928, ‘the most important structure in Los Angeles of the 20th century.’