tangled
Americanadjective
-
snarled, interlaced, or mixed up.
tangled thread.
-
very complicated, intricate, or involved.
tangled bureaucratic procedures.
Etymology
Origin of tangled
Explanation
Tangled is an adjective that describes a confused mass. You're likely to hear tangled used most often when referring to hair. If it's tangled, you can't brush or comb through it. Other than discussing hair, tangled can be used to refer to anything that's jumbled up and confused. Like that tangled pile of wires behind your television and computer that you keep tripping over. Tangled can also mean something highly complicated or intricate, like the relationships between ex-wives, ex-husbands and stepchildren in a family. The word tangled is most famous for being included in a well-known literary quote from Sir Walter Scott's poem, "Marmion" — "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive."
Vocabulary lists containing tangled
"American Names"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
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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.
All three are reportedly appearing in forthcoming drama Tangled Up in Blue, which is being directed by Welsh filmmaker Jamie Adams.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
Appeared in the February 7, 2026, print edition as 'Lost in Epstein’s Web ruth, Consequences and the Limits of Epstein’s Web Jeffrey Epstein’s Tangled Web'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
Tangled shades of blue flooded the SoFi Stadium concourse.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2025
Tangled up among the philosophical questions of how to regard certain artists will always be the considerably challenging one of ethical consumption.
From Salon • May 30, 2025
Tangled all up in my feelings was a memory.
From "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart
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.
