complicated

«complicated» in Mova's school dictionary: having many parts or steps, so it is hard to understand… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adjective (complicated; more complicated, most complicated); verb past form of complicate

meaning for a pupil

1) Complicated means having many parts or steps, so it is hard to understand or do. tree →

2) Complicated describes a situation with many problems or feelings mixed up. tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths a complicated problem has many steps; break it into small steps. In stories it shows confusing feelings or situations. Phrases: «it's complicated», «a complicated question», «too complicated».

examples

• This puzzle is too complicated for me. tree →
• The recipe looks complicated, but it isn't. tree →
• Break a complicated problem into smaller steps. tree →
• The rules of the game are complicated. tree →
• «It's complicated,» she said about her family. tree →
• A watch has complicated parts inside. tree →
• Kay made all sorts of figures, the most complicated, for it was an ice-puzzle for the understanding. tree →

note

Opposite: simple, easy. Similar: complex, difficult, tricky. Spelling: com-pli-cat-ed.

In the corpora

• A headline word like «Megxit» or «snub» makes a complicated choice sound simple and nasty.
• Families are complicated, and people use soft words so they do not have to explain quarrels, divorces or who lives with whom.
• "It's complicated" means a relationship is messy or uncertain.
• New partners can be lovely, and that can feel complicated.
• Formal writing means clear and polite, not complicated; full words, a greeting and "thank you" are usually enough.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «complicated» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.