intricate

/ˈin-tri-kət/

Middle English, from Latin intricatus, past participle of intricare to entangle, from in- + tricae trifles, complications

adjective

  1. having many complexly interrelating parts or elements : complicated

  2. difficult to resolve or analyze

intricate machinery

complex complicated intricate involved knotty mean having confusingly interrelated parts. complex suggests the unavoidable result of a necessary combining and does not imply a fault or failure. complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining.