imbroglio
Americannoun
-
imbroglios
plural
-
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.
noun
-
a confused or perplexing political or interpersonal situation
-
obsolete a confused heap; jumble
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of imbroglio
1740–50; < Italian, derivative of imbrogliare to embroil
Explanation
An imbroglio is a complicated or confusing personal situation. To rephrase the J. Geils band song, "Love Stinks," if you love her and she loves him and he loves somebody else, you've got quite an imbroglio. Although an imbroglio is a tangled situation or a messy complicated misunderstanding, its history is just the opposite, clear as a bell. Imbroglio is just a borrowed word from Italian meaning "entanglement." If something embarrassing happens at a public event, such as a mishap during the musical performances at the Super Bowl, it is sometimes called an imbroglio.
Vocabulary lists containing imbroglio
In a Pickle: Words for When You're in Trouble
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Pop Culture: July 13–19, 2019
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
There may be a way out of the imbroglio in Iran.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
It is hard to develop a strong rooting interest in any of them, or to care much about how the whole imbroglio turns out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
The Warner Bros.’ imbroglio has helped knock its forward price-to-earnings ratio from a high of more than 47 last summer to around 27 today.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
After hearing about the memorabilia imbroglio, Nimoy cut his Larchmont pie intake to zero.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
Just to get away from it all—the World Championship imbroglio and the constant stalking of him by reporters and photographers—Bobby took a two-month cruise by himself around the world.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
However, various legal imbroglios about ownership — including a claim by descendants of Cantinflas — led to the collection dropping from public sight in Mexico after 2007.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The developments are the latest in unprecedented legal imbroglios surrounding the former premier, now the country’s top opposition leader.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 24, 2023
The duo sometimes set up Skype meetings with their targets, one of them on camera and wearing a silicone mask of Le Drian in order to petition for help with political imbroglios.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2022
He conjured his own threadbare reality, about success, about virility, about imbroglios with women, even about the height of Trump Tower.
From New York Times ● Oct. 3, 2020
When, however, they reach the age at which they can no longer travel around and take part in the numerous imbroglios and disputes that arise their influence is much less.
From The Manóbos of Mindanáo Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume XXIII, First Memoir by John M. Garvan
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.
