intricate
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
having many small, complicated parts or details that work together.
characterized by a high degree of complexity and fine detail; often used to describe physical patterns or abstract systems.
Simple“The watch has an intricate design with hundreds of tiny moving parts.”
In context“The novelist spent years developing an intricate plot where every minor character eventually played a crucial role in the resolution.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
very difficult to understand or solve because it is so complicated.
difficult to disentangle, resolve, or interpret due to inherent obscurity or complexity.
Simple“The legal case became so intricate that it took years to reach a final decision.”
In context“The diplomat found himself caught in an intricate web of old rivalries and secret agreements that predated the current conflict.”
SynonymsAntonyms
“The shells are still intricate and beautiful, but the colors often dull when the life inside them is gone.”
“Translated from Korean, this intricate, inviting, Scarryesque picture book features a shop full of rain balloons, cloud pillows and snow sprays (and a sunshine scarf to warm everyone after the blizzard).”
From Middle English intricat(e) (“entangled, intricate”), from Latin intrīcātus, perfect passive participle of intricō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
As for Etymology 1; from Latin intrīcātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.