| Main Entry: | can of worms |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | complicated situation |
Synonyms: |
Gordian knot, Pandora's box, Pandora's box, complex problem, complexity, complication, difficult situation, difficulty, dog's breakfast, entanglement, hard nut to crack, headache, hornet's nest, hot water, hot water, mare's nest, mess, predicament, problem, quagmire, quandary, snafu, snake pit, snarl, trouble, troublesome problem, unpredictable situation |
| Main Entry: | adversity |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | bad luck, situation |
Synonyms: |
affliction, bad break, bummer, calamity, can of worms, catastrophe, clutch, contretemps, crunch, difficulty, disaster, distress, downer, drag*, evil eye, hard knocks, hard times, hardship, hurting, ill fortune, jam, jinx, kiss of death, misery, misfortune, mishap, on the skids, pain in the neck, poison*, reverse, sorrow, suffering, the worst, tough luck, trial, trouble |
Antonyms: |
aid, encouragement, favor, fortune, good luck, help, prosperity |
| Main Entry: | complicated |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | difficult, complex |
Synonyms: |
Byzantine, Daedalean, Gordian, abstruse, arduous, can of worms, convoluted, difficult, elaborate, entangled, fancy, gasser, hard, hi-tech, interlaced, intricate, involved, knotty, labyrinthine, mega factor, mixed, perplexing, problematic, puzzling, recondite, sophisticated, troublesome, various, wheels within wheels |
| Notes: | something complex may be well-organized and logically constructed as well as subtle and intricate, while a thing that is complicated will have something irregular, perverse, asymmetrical in addition to fundamental intricacy; complex is more formal and technical (a problem in mathematics is complex) while something like personal life can be complicated |
Antonyms: |
easy, facile, simple |
| Main Entry: | consequence |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | result, outcome of action |
Synonyms: |
aftereffect, aftermath, bottom line, can of worms, chain reaction, effect, end, event, fallout, follow through, follow-up, issue, outgrowth, payback, reaction, repercussion, sequel, sequence, spin-off, upshot, waves |
Antonyms: |
beginning, cause, commencement, inception, origin, rise, source, start |
| Main Entry: | distress |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | hardship, adversity |
Synonyms: |
bad luck, bummer, calamity, can of worms, catastrophe, crunch, destitution, difficulty, disaster, downer, drag*, exigency, hard knocks, hard time, holy mess, hot water, indigence, jam*, misfortune, need, pickle, pinch*, poverty, privation, rigor, rotten luck, scrape*, straits, throe, ticklish spot, tough break, tough luck, trial, trouble, unholy mess, vicissitude, want |
Antonyms: |
advantage, benefit, miracle |
| Main Entry: | effect |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | result |
Synonyms: |
aftereffect, aftermath, backlash, backwash, can of worms, causatum, chain reaction, conclusion, consequence, corollary, denouement, development, end, end product, event, eventuality, fallout, flak, follow through, follow-up, fruit, issue, outcome, outgrowth, precipitate, pursuance, ramification, reaction, reflex, repercussion, response, sequel, sequence, side effect, spin-off, upshot, waves |
Antonyms: |
beginning, cause, commencement, foundation, origin, source, start |
| Main Entry: | intricate |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | complicated, elaborate |
Synonyms: |
Byzantine, Daedal, abstruse, baroque, can of worms, complex, convoluted, difficult, entangled, fancy, hard, high-tech, involved, labyrinthine, obscure, perplexing, rococo, sophisticated, tangled, tortuous, tricky |
Antonyms: |
direct, methodical, simple, systematic, understandable |
| Main Entry: | problem |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | difficulty; bad situation |
Synonyms: |
botheration, box*, can of worms, complication, count*, crunch, dilemma, disagreement, dispute, disputed point, doubt, headache, hitch*, hot water, issue, mess*, obstacle, pickle, point at issue, predicament, quandary, question, scrape*, squeeze*, trouble, worriment |
Antonyms: |
good situation, solution |
| Main Entry: | mare's nest |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | troublesome situation |
Synonyms: |
can of worms, dog's breakfast, gallimaufry, hash, mess, patchwork, rat's nest, salmagundi |
| Main Entry: | Pandora's box |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | evils that are hidden |
Synonyms: |
can of worms, confusion, evil, hornet's nest, ill, snake in the grass |