Definitions for complex
kəmˈplɛks, ˈkɒm plɛks; ˈkɒm plɛkscom·plex

Princeton's WordNet(4.15 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. complex, composite(noun)

   a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts

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

2. complex, coordination compound(noun)

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

3. complex(noun)

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

4. building complex, complex(adj)

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

5. complex(adj)

   complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts

   "a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody"; "a complex mass of diverse laws and customs"

Wiktionary(3.60 / 10 votes)Rate this definition:

1. complex(Noun)

   A problem.

   Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

2. complex(Noun)

   A collection of buildings with a common purpose, such as a university or military base.

   Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

3. complex(Noun)

   A psychologically based dislike or fear of a particular thing.

   Jim has a real complex about working for a woman boss.

   Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

4. complex(Noun)

   A thunderstorm that forms when two storm fronts collide.

   Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

5. complex(Noun)

   A structure consisting of a central atom or molecule weakly connected to surrounding atoms or molecules.

   Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

6. complex(Verb)

   To form a complex with another substance

   Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

7. complex(Adjective)

   Made up of multiple parts; intricate or detailed.

   Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

8. complex(Adjective)

   Not simple or straightforward.

   Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

9. complex(Adjective)

   Of a number, of the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is the square root of 1.

   Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

10. complex(Adjective)

    A curve, polygon or other figure that crosses or intersects itself.

    Etymology: From complexe, from complexus, past participle of complecti, from com- and plectere. See complect.

Webster Dictionary(2.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Complex(noun)

   composed of two or more parts; composite; not simple; as, a complex being; a complex idea

   Etymology: [L. complexus]

2. Complex(noun)

   involving many parts; complicated; intricate

   Etymology: [L. complexus]

3. Complex(noun)

   assemblage of related things; collection; complication

   Etymology: [L. complexus]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Complex

   kom′pleks, adj. composed of more than one, or of many parts: not simple: intricate: difficult.—n. a complex whole.—v.t. to complicate.—ns. Complex′edness, Com′plexness, Complex′ity, state of being complex: complication.—adv. Com′plexly.—n. Complex′us, a complicated system: a large muscle of the back, passing from the spine to the head. [L. complex—com, together, and root of plicāre, to fold. See Complicate.]

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'complex' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1404

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'complex' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2988

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'complex' in Nouns Frequency: #1447

4. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'complex' in Adjectives Frequency: #169

How to pronounce complex?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say complex in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of complex in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of complex in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of complex in a Sentence

1. Patricia Boyle:

   Because it's a complex behavior, it likely involves distributed brain networks to support it.

2. Steve Young:

   It's a complex dance, people agonize over the things we are talking about here.

3. Hugh Young:

   No one should be under any illusion that it’s as simple as moving a brass plate from one city to another. It is far more complex than that and involves local, regional and global regulatory frameworks, costs and the future strategic shape of HSBC.

4. Buckaroo Banzai (the film):

   Attention, attention, there are monkey-boys in the complex.

5. Stuart Kim:

   These supercentenarians have a different clock where they are staying really highly functional for a long time. We wanted to know what they had. It's pretty clearly genetic, The results indicate that the genetic effect must be complex. It must be many genes, or different genes in each supercentenarian, that gives them the edge to live an extremely long time.

Images & Illustrations of complex

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