embroiled
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of embroiled
Explanation
When you're embroiled in something, you're tangled or mired in it — in other words, you're involved so completely that it's hard to get away from it. You might be embroiled in an argument between two friends, unable to step back and be neutral. Two warring countries might be embroiled in peace talks, or two characters on your favorite TV show could be embroiled in a scandal. In either case, people are tangled in a complicated situation or a serious conflict. The earliest meaning of embroil was "throw into disorder," from the French root embrouillier, "entangle or confuse."
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.
Today, though, the discipline is embroiled in an ideological and existential battle of its own, one that is increasingly public and, at least in part, of its own making.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Coincidentally, Harper became embroiled in that lawsuit, in which the plaintiffs pointed to images of Harper’s face on the DraftKings app as evidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The incident comes after Travelodge was embroiled in a separate controversy over the security of its hotel rooms.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
The scam that embroiled his mother began on Tinder, but the author’s larger subject is the social web that makes intimacy searchable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
“Why don’t you ask Tano how great a father I’ve been to him lately? Even now, he denies his mother’s death. Nansi is embroiled in anger, consumed by his vengeance toward humans.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
