embattled

[em-bat-ld]

adjective

1. disposed or prepared for battle.

2. engaged in or beset by conflict or struggle.

embattled

/ ɪmˈbætəld /

adjective

1. prepared for or engaged in conflict, controversy, or battle

2. heraldry having an indented edge resembling battlements

Other Word Forms

• unembattled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of embattled¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; embattle ¹, -ed ²; embattled def. 2 probably by association with the general sense “restrict, enclose” of many verbs formed with em- ¹, en- ¹

Example Sentences

Its mission has been ambitious—and sometimes politically embattled.

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Wednesday's embattled owner Dejphon Chansiri indicated in the summer he would be willing to sell up at Hillsborough, but he has not been able to secure a deal with potential new owners.

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What emerges, then, is a story without history, within simplified parameters, meant to convey an embattled neighborhood without mentioning certain neighbors, free of any inconvenient perspectives.

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That feels like a deliberate call-back to Look What You Made Me Do, written in 2017 when Swift was at her most embattled, following a public showdown with Kanye West and months of negative press.

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So too were right-handed veteran Blake Treinen and embattled left-handed closer Tanner Scott, who were major disappointments in late-inning roles this year but flashed some improvement in the final days of the regular season.

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