made up of various interconnected parts; composite
2.
(of thoughts, writing, etc) intricate or involved
3. grammar
a.
(of a word) containing at least one bound form
b.
(of a noun phrase) containing both a lexical noun and an embedded clause, as for example the italicized parts of the following sentence: I didn't know the man who served me
c.
(of a sentence) formed by subordination of one clause to another
4. mathematics
of or involving one or more complex numbers
noun
5.
a whole made up of interconnected or related parts
a building complex
6. psychoanalysis
a group of emotional ideas or impulses that have been banished from the conscious mind but that continue to influence a person's behaviour
7. informal
an obsession or excessive fear
he's got a complex about losing his looks
8. Also called: coordination compound
a chemical compound in which molecules, groups, or ions are attached to a central metal atom, esp a transition metal atom, by coordinate bonds
9.
any chemical compound in which one molecule is linked to another by a coordinate bond
▶ USAGE Complex is sometimes wrongly used where complicated is meant. Complex is properly used to say only that something consists of several parts. It shouldnot be used to say that, because something consists of many parts, it is difficultto understand or analyse
Derived forms
complexly (ˈcomplexly)
adverb
complexness (ˈcomplexness)
noun
Word origin
C17: from Latin complexus, from complectī to entwine, from com- together + plectere to braid
Examples of 'coordination compound' in a sentence
coordination compound
They were calculated for the ligand and various representations of the coordination compound structure.
Raos, N., Miličević, A. 2007, 'Estimation of Stability Constants of Complex Compounds', Kemija u Industrijihttp://pierre.fkit.hr/hdki/kui/vol56/broj09/449.pdf. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)