From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcomplicatecom‧pli‧cate /ˈkɒmplɪkeɪt $ ˈkɑːm-/ ●●○ verb [transitive] 1 COMPLICATEDDIFFICULTto make a problem or situation more difficult The situation is complicated by the fact that I’ve got to work late on Friday. To complicate matters further, differences exist as regards legal systems, trade customs, and language.2 MIWORSEto make an illness worse a heart condition complicated by pneumoniaGrammar Complicate is usually passive in this meaning.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
complicate• Williams died on Monday from a heart condition complicated by pneumonia.• Far from helping the situation, the new regulations are likely to complicate matters.• The continued fighting has complicated the peace negotiations.• Re-melting and alloying further complicate the situation.• A student who has no desire to learn greatly complicates the teacher's job.• I don't need a boyfriend - they just complicate your life.Origin complicate (1600-1700) Latin past participle of complicare, from com- ( → COM-) + plicare “to fold” 