embattled
Americanadjective
-
disposed or prepared for battle.
-
engaged in or beset by conflict or struggle.
adjective
-
prepared for or engaged in conflict, controversy, or battle
-
heraldry having an indented edge resembling battlements
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of embattled
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see 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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That kind of attention isn’t on just him but also on Indian Americans in even higher-profile jobs, such as, say, the first Indian American director of the FBI, the chronically embattled Kash Patel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Frasers Group, the retail conglomerate founded by British billionaire Mike Ashley, bought a stake in embattled sportswear brand Under Armour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
At the moment, however, the president is embattled.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Acme’s success is the latest humiliation for embattled Warner Bros.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
The unprecedented price demanded—and at this embattled hour of the world’s history—is the transcendence of the realities of color, of nations, and of altars.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
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.
