Complex vs. Sophisticated

Made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple.

Example: ‘a complex being; a complex idea’;

Not simple, easy, or straightforward; complicated.

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

Example: ‘complex function’;

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

A problem. en

A network of interconnected systems.

Example: ‘military-industrial complex’;

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

An assemblage of related things; a collection.

(psychology) A psychological dislike or fear of a particular thing.

Example: ‘Jim has a real complex about working for a woman boss.’;

An organized cluster of thunderstorms.

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

(math) A complex number.

To form a complex with another substance

(transitive) To complicate.

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

Example: ‘Ideas thus made up of several simple ones put together, I call complex; such as beauty, gratitude, a man, an army, the universe.’;

Involving many parts; complicated; intricate.

Example: ‘When the actual motions of the heavens are calculated in the best possible way, the process is difficult and complex.’;

Assemblage of related things; collection; complication.

Example: ‘This parable of the wedding supper comprehends in it the whole complex of all the blessings and privileges exhibited by the gospel.’;

a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts;

Example: ‘the complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town’;

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

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

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

complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts;

Example: ‘a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody’; ‘a complex mass of diverse laws and customs’;

Having obtained worldly experience, and lacking naiveté; cosmopolitan.

Elegant, refined.

Complicated, especially of complex technology.

Appealing to the tastes of an intellectual; cerebral.

Dishonest or misleading.

simple past tense and past participle of sophisticate

having or appealing to those having worldly knowledge and refinement and savoir faire;

Example: ‘sophisticated young socialites’; ‘a sophisticated audience’; ‘a sophisticated lifestyle’; ‘a sophisticated book’;

ahead in development; complex or intricate;

Example: ‘advanced technology’; ‘a sophisticated electronic control system’;

marked by wide-ranging knowledge and appreciation of many parts of the world arising from urban life and wide travel;

Example: ‘the sophisticated manners of a true cosmopolite’; ‘urbane and pliant...he was at ease even in the drawing rooms of Paris’;

intellectually appealing;

Example: ‘a sophisticated drama’;