imbroglio
Americannoun
plural
imbroglios-
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
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
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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This Week in Pop Culture: July 13–19, 2019
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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.
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
Mr. Trump seemed to lose interest in the imbroglio, although not before visiting the building site alongside Mr. Powell, both in hard hats.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026
While neither shooting, both of which took place in 2017, was a major imbroglio, their disclosure is notable.
From New York Times • Nov. 19, 2023
On its face, the evolving imbroglio seemed like a decidedly simple issue to the temp, with an equally simple solution: by rights, the materials belonged to the surviving family members back in England.
From Salon • Nov. 9, 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
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.
