COMPLEX

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does complex mean? 

• COMPLEX (noun)
  The noun COMPLEX has 4 senses:

1. a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts

2. a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated

3. (psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior

4. a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures

  Familiarity information: COMPLEX used as a noun is uncommon.

• COMPLEX (adjective)
  The adjective COMPLEX has 2 senses:

1. complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts

2. difficult to analyze or understand

  Familiarity information: COMPLEX used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COMPLEX (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

complex; composite

Context example:

the complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town

Hypernyms ("complex" is a kind of...):

whole (all of something including all its component elements or parts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "complex"):

hybrid (a composite of mixed origin)

syndrome (a complex of concurrent things)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

complex; coordination compound

Hypernyms ("complex" is a kind of...):

chemical compound; compound ((chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "complex"):

hydrochloride (a complex consisting of an organic base in association with hydrogen chloride)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Hypernyms ("complex" is a kind of...):

feeling (the experiencing of affective and emotional states)

Domain category:

analysis; depth psychology; psychoanalysis (a set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and a method of treating various mental disorders; based on the theories of Sigmund Freud)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "complex"):

Oedipal complex; Oedipus complex (a complex of males; desire to possess the mother sexually and to exclude the father; said to be a source of personality disorders if unresolved)

Electra complex (a complex of females; sexual attraction to the father)

inferiority complex (a sense of personal inferiority arising from conflict between the desire to be noticed and the fear of being humiliated)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

building complex; complex

Hypernyms ("complex" is a kind of...):

construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "complex"):

college (a complex of buildings in which an institution of higher education is housed)

industrial plant; plant; works (buildings for carrying on industrial labor)

ribbon development (building complex in a continuous row along a road)

• COMPLEX (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts

Context example:

a complex mass of diverse laws and customs

Similar:

multifactorial (involving or depending on several factors or causes (especially pertaining to a condition or disease resulting from the interaction of many genes))

labyrinthian; labyrinthine; mazy (resembling a labyrinth in form or complexity)

intricate (having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate)

interlacing; interlinking; interlocking; interwoven (linked or locked closely together as by dovetailing)

Gordian (extremely intricate; usually in phrase 'Gordian knot')

daedal (complex and ingenious in design or function)

compound (consisting of two or more substances or ingredients or elements or parts)

composite (consisting of separate interconnected parts)

complex; complicated (difficult to analyze or understand)

colonial; compound (composed of many distinct individuals united to form a whole or colony)

Byzantine; convoluted; involved; knotty; tangled; tortuous (highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious)

analyzable; decomposable (capable of being partitioned)

multiplex (having many parts or aspects)

thickening (becoming more intricate or complex)

Also:

compound (composed of more than one part)

difficult; hard (not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure)

Attribute:

complexity; complexness (the quality of being intricate and compounded)

Antonym:

simple (having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved)

Derivation:

complexity; complexness (the quality of being intricate and compounded)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Difficult to analyze or understand

Synonyms:

complex; complicated

Context example:

he's more complex than he seems on the surface

Similar:

complex (complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts)

 Context examples 

Clinical specialists demonstrate an in-depth understanding of complex medical-surgical problems, as well as interventions to manage and improve patient care.

(Medical-Surgical Nurse Specialist, NCI Thesaurus)

Melanogenesis is under complex regulatory control by multiple agents.

(Melanogenesis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

IFN-g also mediates interleukin-12 (IL-12) production by antigen-presenting cells (APCs); activates macrophages, cytotoxic T-cells, and natural killer (NK) cells; upregulates major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules; and stimulates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).

(Adenovirus-Interferon-Gamma TG1042, NCI Thesaurus)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder that affects how a person behaves, interacts with others and learns.

(Acetaminophen exposure in pregnancy linked to higher risk of ADHD, autism, National Institutes of Health)

However, the quantum computers which Google, IBM and others are developing are based on superconducting loops, which are complex circuits and, like all quantum systems, are highly fragile.

(Quantum state of single electrons controlled by ‘surfing’ on sound waves, University of Cambridge)

A gene-viral vector complex comprised of an adenovirus vector and B7-1 gene targeting the CD80 antigen.

(Adenovirus B7-1, NCI Thesaurus)

In the diverse environment of Khao Yai National Park, there is a complex set of relationships between the plants and animals.

(Thai Elephants Help Spread Jungle Fruit's Seeds, Sadie Witkowski/VOA)

They reveal a complex picture of dinosaur evolution.

(New dinosaur with heart-shaped tail offers clues to evolution of Africa's ecosystems, National Science Foundation)

The uneven distribution of craters indicates that the crust is not uniform, and that Ceres has gone through a complex geological evolution.

(Ceres' Geological Activity, Ice Revealed in New Research, NASA)

The HLA antigens are encoded by closely linked multiallelic genes of the HLA (MHC) complex, a region containing several genetic loci (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DP, -DQ, -DR, -MB, -MT, and -Te).

(MHC Class I Protein, NCI Thesaurus)