intricate

UK/ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kət/US/ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kət/

adjectiveC1Common in everyday speech and writing · #8,166 of 15,258leans written

Intricate means woven of many tiny interlocking details. Intricate carving, an intricate plot, intricately worked.

It is admiring where complicated is not: intricate work is difficult and deliberate, and the detail is the point. It suits carving, lacework, machinery and plots. Note intricacy; and that intricate comes from the Latin for entangling, the same word that gives intrigue — so an intricate design and a court intrigue are the same tangle in different rooms.

Definitions of intricate

1adjectiveintricateWoven of many tiny interlocking details.C1
“The lace collar was covered in intricate patterns of flowers and leaves.”
synonyms: elaborate, detailed

intricate is a quality of detailed complexity.

Also accepted in games: complex

Where it comes from

Latin intricatus comes from intricare, to entangle, from tricae, complications. Intrigue and extricate come from the same tangle.

Latin
intrīcātus
Middle English
intricat — entangled, intricate
English, today
intricate

From Middle English intricat (“entangled, intricate”), from Latin intrīcātus, perfect passive participle of intricō, see -ate.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Sharper Adjectives

Practise this word

intricate in the wild

From about the 1500s, mantlings were drawn increasingly intricate and tattered, with many wound and corkscrewed strands and elements.
Mantling
For example, Russian ballet exhibits high extensions and dynamic turns, whereas Italian ballet tends to be more grounded, with a focus on fast and intricate footwork.
Ballet technique
The doorcases, with their varied treatment and intricate fanlights, were where the builder could impose some individuality on the building.
Mornington House
A scroll saw is a small electric or pedal-operated saw used to cut intricate curves in wood, metal, or other materials.
Scroll saw
The saris are made of finely woven silk and are decorated with intricate designs, and, because of these engravings, are relatively heavy.
Banarasi sari

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

From Project Gutenberg, public domain. These sentences are from real books, shown to illustrate the word at work.

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