Intricate vs Complicate - What's the difference?
intricate | complicate |
Having a great deal of fine detail or complexity.
:
*(Joseph Addison) (1672–1719)
*:His style was fit to convey the most intricate business to the understanding with the utmost clearness.
*
*:As a matter of fact its narrow ornate façade presented not a single quiet space that the eyes might rest on after a tiring attempt to follow and codify the arabesques, foliations, and intricate vermiculations of what some disrespectfully dubbed as “near-aissance.”
To become enmeshed or entangled.
* 1864 October 18, J.E. Freund, “
To enmesh or entangle: to cause to intricate.
* 1994 December 12, , “
To fold or twist together; to combine intricately; to make complex; to combine or associate so as to make intricate or difficult.
to expose involvement in a convoluted matter.
(obsolete) Intertwined.
Complex, complicated.
* 1745 , Edward Young, Night-Thoughts , I:
As adjectives the difference between intricate and complicate
is that intricate is having a great deal of fine detail or complexity while complicate is (obsolete) intertwined.As verbs the difference between intricate and complicate
is that intricate is to become enmeshed or entangled while complicate is to fold or twist together; to combine intricately; to make complex; to combine or associate so as to make intricate or difficult.intricate
English
Alternative forms
* entricateEtymology 1
From (etyl) intricatus'' (past participle of ''intricare ).Adjective
(en adjective)Etymology 2
As the adjective; or by analogy with extricateVerb
(intricat)How to Avoid the Use of Lint”, letter to the editor, in The New York Times (1864 October 23):
- washes off easily, without sticking or intricating into the wound.
Avoid Dunkirk II” (essay), in The New York Times :
- But the British and French won't hear of that; they want to get their troops extricated and our ground troops intricated .
Anagrams
* ----complicate
English
Verb
(complicat)- Don't complicate yourself in issues that are beyond the scope of your education.
- John has been complicated in the affair by new tapes that surfaced.
- The DA has made every effort to complicate me in the scandal.
Synonyms
* (expose involvement in a convoluted matter) intricate, entangle, embroil, mix up (in something), mireSee also
* complexAdjective
(en adjective)- How poor, how rich, how abject, how august, / How complicate , how wonderful, is Man!
