German word

verwickelt

Pronunciation

IPA/fɛɐ̯ˈvɪkl̩t/

Meaning

  • adjectivecomplicated

Example

Das ist ein verwickeltes Problem.

That is a complicated problem.

Illustration for verwickelt (complicated)

More examples

Die Vertragsbedingungen sind verwickelt und schwer zu verstehen.

The contract terms are complicated and difficult to understand.

Core concept

A knot of connected strands hides how each strand runs through the whole.

Common phrases

  • eine verwickelte Angelegenheit

    a complicated matter

  • ein verwickelter Fall

    a complicated case

  • ein verwickeltes Geflecht

    a complicated web

Similar words

kompliziert: Hard to handle or understand because many processes or circumstances are intertwined.
komplex: Made up of many interrelated elements within a structured whole.
verworren: Confused and disordered, with no clear line of thought or development.
verflochten: Deeply interconnected, so the people or matters involved are hard to separate.

Definition in German

So beschaffen, dass mehrere Teile oder Aspekte sich gegenseitig verknüpfen und das Ganze schwer zu durchschauen ist.

Word origin

The adjective verwickelt comes from the verb verwickeln, which combines ver- with wickeln ('to wrap') and developed from physical entangling to complex circumstances.

Usage tips

  • In etwas verwickelt sein refers to involvement in a matter, so the phrase need not describe a physically tangled object.

Other meanings

  • trickyadjective
  • intricateadjective
  • tangledadjective

Opposites

  • einfachsimpleadjective
  • unkompliziertuncomplicatedadjective

Related words

Word lists with this word