imbroglio
Americannoun
plural
imbroglios-
a misunderstanding, disagreement, etc., of a complicated or bitter nature, as between persons or nations.
-
an intricate and perplexing state of affairs; a complicated or difficult situation.
-
a confused heap.
noun
-
a confused or perplexing political or interpersonal situation
-
obsolete a confused heap; jumble
Etymology
Origin of imbroglio
1740–50; < Italian, derivative of imbrogliare to embroil
Explanation
An imbroglio is a complicated or confusing personal situation. To rephrase the J. Geils band song, "Love Stinks," if you love her and she loves him and he loves somebody else, you've got quite an imbroglio. Although an imbroglio is a tangled situation or a messy complicated misunderstanding, its history is just the opposite, clear as a bell. Imbroglio is just a borrowed word from Italian meaning "entanglement." If something embarrassing happens at a public event, such as a mishap during the musical performances at the Super Bowl, it is sometimes called an imbroglio.
Vocabulary lists containing imbroglio
In a Pickle: Words for When You're in Trouble
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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This Week in Pop Culture: July 13–19, 2019
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Imbroglio, contretemps, foofaraw, brouhaha: News is about contention and disagreement.
From Washington Post • May 4, 2018
The biggest problem with the systems, Mr. Imbroglio said, is that they take a lot of time to install.
From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2015
Imbroglio, im-brōl′yō, n. an intricate plot in a romance or drama: a perplexing state of matters: a complicated misunderstanding.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
He is the only English Minister who speaks German, knows German situations, interests, ways; or has the least real understanding of this huge German Imbroglio in which England is voluntarily weltering.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 14 by Carlyle, Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
