Basic vs. Complex

Basicadjective

Necessary, essential for life or some process.

‘Flour is a basic ingredient of bread.’;

Complexadjective

Made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple.

‘a complex being; a complex idea’;

Basicadjective

Elementary, simple, fundamental, merely functional.

‘The Hotel Sparta’s accommodation is very basic.’;

Complexadjective

Not simple, easy, or straightforward; complicated.

Basicadjective

(chemistry) Of or pertaining to a base; having a pH greater than 7.

Complexadjective

(mathematics) Of a number, of the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is a square root of −1.

‘complex function’;

Basicadjective

(slang) Unremarkable or uninteresting; boring; uncool.

Complexadjective

(geometry) A curve, polygon or other figure that crosses or intersects itself.

Basicnoun

A necessary commodity, a staple requirement.

‘Rice is a basic for many Asian villagers.’;

Complexnoun

A problem. en

Basicnoun

An elementary building block, e.g. a fundamental piece of knowledge.

‘Arithmetic is a basic for the study of mathematics.’;

Complexnoun

A network of interconnected systems.

‘military-industrial complex’;

Basicnoun

(military) Basic training.

‘The drill sergeants gave him hell in basic.’;

Complexnoun

A collection of buildings with a common purpose, such as a university or military base.

Basicadjective

Relating to a base; performing the office of a base in a salt.

Complexnoun

An assemblage of related things; a collection.

Basicadjective

Said of crystalline rocks which contain a relatively low percentage of silica, as basalt.

Complexnoun

(psychology) A psychological dislike or fear of a particular thing.

‘Jim has a real complex about working for a woman boss.’;

Basicnoun

an artificial computer language with a relatively simplified instruction set.

Complexnoun

An organized cluster of thunderstorms.

Basicnoun

a popular programming language that is relatively easy to learn; an acronym for beginner's all-purpose symbolic instruction code; no longer in general use

Complexnoun

(chemistry) A structure consisting of a central atom or molecule weakly connected to surrounding atoms or molecules.

Basicnoun

(usually plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant

Complexnoun

(math) A complex number.

Basicadjective

pertaining to or constituting a base or basis;

‘a basic fact’; ‘the basic ingredients’; ‘basic changes in public opinion occur because of changes in priorities’;

Complexverb

To form a complex with another substance

Basicadjective

reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality;

‘a basic story line’; ‘a canonical syllable pattern’;

Complexverb

(transitive) To complicate.

Basicadjective

of primary importance;

‘basic truths’;

Complexadjective

Composed of two or more parts; composite; not simple; as, a complex being; a complex idea.

‘Ideas thus made up of several simple ones put together, I call complex; such as beauty, gratitude, a man, an army, the universe.’;

Basicadjective

serving as a base or starting point;

‘a basic course in Russian’; ‘basic training for raw recruits’; ‘a set of basic tools’; ‘an introductory art course’;

Complexadjective

Involving many parts; complicated; intricate.

‘When the actual motions of the heavens are calculated in the best possible way, the process is difficult and complex.’;

Basicadjective

of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base

Complexnoun

Assemblage of related things; collection; complication.

‘This parable of the wedding supper comprehends in it the whole complex of all the blessings and privileges exhibited by the gospel.’;

Complexnoun

a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts;

‘the complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town’;

Complexnoun

a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated

Complexnoun

(psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior

Complexnoun

a whole structure (as a building) made up of interconnected or related structures

Complexadjective

complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts;

‘a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody’; ‘a complex mass of diverse laws and customs’;