imbroglio

[im-brohl-yoh]

See more synonyms for imbroglio on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural im·bro·glios.

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.

Also embroglio.

Origin of imbroglio

1740–50; < Italian, derivative of imbrogliare to embroil

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for imbroglio

entanglement, squabble, brouhaha, quandary, spat, complication, embroilment, miff, brawl, run-in, argument, embarrassment, complexity, quarrel, involvement, altercation, broil, dispute, row, bickering

Examples from the Web for imbroglio

Contemporary Examples of imbroglio

Yet the current imbroglio in which Obama finds himself is self-inflicted.
Obama Needs a Friend in Congress—Like Bush Had
Lloyd Green
September 10, 2013
No wonder the summit was eclipsed by the B-movie imbroglio over Secret Service agents moonlighting as sex tourists.
Cartagena Summit’s Other Outrage: Obama’s Indifference to Latin Issues
Mac Margolis
April 27, 2012
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, on the other hand, found the Sestak imbroglio to be less, er, pungent.
May 30: 7 Best Moments From Sunday Talk
The Daily Beast Video
May 30, 2010

Historical Examples of imbroglio

The Mesopotamian imbroglio was denounced as both a crime and a blunder.
The New World of Islam
Lothrop Stoddard
Now, as the European imbroglio is clarified, at them, at them!
Diary from March 4, 1861, to November 12, 1862
Adam Gurowski
But at last I had grasped the clue to this imbroglio into which fate had thrust me.
Tales of Secret Egypt
Sax Rohmer
The imbroglio of the Ladies of the Bedchamber had been settled in 1840.
Mr. Punch's History of Modern England, Vol. I (of 4).--1841-1857
Charles L. Graves
Numerous have been the attempts to entangle me in that imbroglio.
The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson Compiled From Family Letters and Reminiscences
Sarah N. Randolph

British Dictionary definitions for imbroglio

imbroglio

noun plural -glios

a confused or perplexing political or interpersonal situation
obsolete a confused heap; jumble

Word Origin for imbroglio

C18: from Italian, from imbrogliare to confuse, embroil

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for imbroglio

1750, from Italian imbroglio, from imbrogliare "confuse, tangle," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (see in- (2)) + brogliare "embroil," probably from Middle French brouiller "confuse" (see broil (2); also cf. embroil).