complex Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts
    composite.
    • the complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town
  2. noun a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated
    coordination compound.
  3. noun (psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior
  4. noun a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures
    building complex.
  5. adjective 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

WordNet

Com"plex adjective
Etymology
L. complexus, p. p. of complecti to entwine around, comprise; com- + plectere to twist, akin to plicare to fold. See Plait, n.
Definitions
  1. Composed of two or more parts; composite; not simple; as, a complex being; a complex idea.
    Ideas thus made up of several simple ones put together, I call complex; such as beauty, gratitude, a man, an army, the universe. Locke.
  2. Involving many parts; complicated; intricate.
    When the actual motions of the heavens are calculated in the best possible way, the process is difficult and complex. Whewell.
    Syn. -- See Intricate.
Com"plex noun
Etymology
L. complexus
Definitions
  1. Assemblage of related things; colletion; complication.
    This parable of the wedding supper comprehends in it the whole complex of all the blessings and privileges exhibited by the gospel. South.

Webster 1913