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Definition of complex noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

complex

noun
 
/ˈkɒmpleks/
 
/ˈkɑːmpleks/
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  1. a group of buildings of a similar type together in one place
    • a sports/leisure/shopping complex
    • an industrial complex (= a site with many factories)
    • (especially North American English) an apartment complex
    • (especially North American English) a housing complex
    • complex of something a complex of buildings covering about 300 square metres
    Synonyms buildingbuildingproperty premises complex structure blockThese are all words for a structure such as a house, office block or factory that has a roof and four wallsbuilding a structure such as a house, an office block or a factory that has a roof and four walls.property a building or buildings and the surrounding land; land and buildings:
    • We have a buyer who would like to view the property.
    • The price of property has risen enormously.
    This word is often used when talking about buying/​selling houses or other buildings and land.
    premises [pl.] the building or buildings and surrounding land that a business owns or uses:
    • The company is looking for larger premises.
    complex a group of buildings of a similar type together in one place:
    • a leisure complex
    structure a thing that is made of several parts, especially a building:
    • The pier is a wooden structure.
    block (British English) a tall building that contains flats or offices; a building that forms part of a school, hospital, etc. and is used for a particular purpose:
    • a block of flats
    • the school’s science block
    Patterns
    • a(n) commercial/​industrial/​residential building/​property/​premises/​complex/​block
    • an apartment building/​complex/​block
    • a/​the school building/​premises
    • to build a property/​complex/​structure/​block
    • to put up a building/​property/​structure/​block
    • to demolish/​pull down a building/​property/​complex/​structure/​block
    Topics Buildingsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • huge
    • large
    • vast
    verb + complex
    • build
    See full entry
  2. a group of things that are connected
    • This is just one of a whole complex of issues.
    Extra Examples
    • There is a huge complex of different traditions and religions in the area.
    • He will be just one detective working amongst a much bigger complex of colleagues.
  3. (psychology) (especially in compounds) a set of beliefs or fears, which may not be conscious, that can make somebody very unhappy or cause a mental illness
    • He suffers from a guilt complex.
    see also Electra complex, inferiority complex, Oedipus complex, persecution complex, superiority complexTopics Mental healthc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • real
    • terrible
    • inferiority
    verb + complex
    • have
    • suffer from
    • develop
    preposition
    • complex about
    See full entry
  4. (informal) a feeling of worry or embarrassment about something that is not necessary or reasonable
    • She has a complex about her big ears.
    Extra Examples
    • These magazines try to give us all a complex about our thighs.
    • My parents never spoke about my height because they didn't want me to grow up with a complex.
    • Don't keep on at him about his handwriting or he'll get a complex.
    Topics Mental healthc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • real
    • terrible
    • inferiority
    verb + complex
    • have
    • suffer from
    • develop
    preposition
    • complex about
    See full entry
  5. Word Originmid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘group of related elements’): from Latin complexus, past participle (used as a noun) of complectere ‘embrace, comprise’, later associated with complexus ‘plaited’; the adjective is partly via French complexe.
See complex in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee complex in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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