Definition of "complication" []

• The act of complicating. (noun)
• A confused or intricate relationship of parts. (noun)
• A factor, condition, or element that complicates. (noun)
• Medicine A secondary disease, an accident, or a negative reaction occurring during the course of an illness and usually aggravating the illness. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "This complication is all the more tragic because most of these children have an isolated anomaly and do well after postnatal resection."
• "Another complication is ascites, which is a collection of fluid in the belly."
• "A further complication is a deadlock over the division of oil revenues."