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.
Vance is clearly embroiled in a lifelong struggle with a common ailment of self-serious men who consider themselves profound geniuses.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
Before City -- now embroiled in the biggest financial scandal to hit football's cash-rich Premier League -- moved to the area it was "very deprived" with high rates of unemployment, he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Steve Yoo, one of the country's biggest pop stars in the 1990s and early 2000s, was embroiled in a national scandal after he was found to have evaded military service in 2002.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The nascent Polish state found itself embroiled in localized wars with Germans, Lithuanians and Ukrainians alongside a grander struggle against the Soviets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
I particularly feared he would get embroiled in a religious discussion, bring in my Roman Catholicism in a way that could embarrass the Church.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
