tangled
Americanadjective
-
snarled, interlaced, or mixed up.
tangled thread.
-
very complicated, intricate, or involved.
tangled bureaucratic procedures.
Etymology
Origin of tangled
Explanation
Tangled is an adjective that describes a confused mass. You're likely to hear tangled used most often when referring to hair. If it's tangled, you can't brush or comb through it. Other than discussing hair, tangled can be used to refer to anything that's jumbled up and confused. Like that tangled pile of wires behind your television and computer that you keep tripping over. Tangled can also mean something highly complicated or intricate, like the relationships between ex-wives, ex-husbands and stepchildren in a family. The word tangled is most famous for being included in a well-known literary quote from Sir Walter Scott's poem, "Marmion" — "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive."
Vocabulary lists containing tangled
"American Names"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
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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.
As a backhoe cleared broken pieces of heavy walls, the siblings picked tirelessly through the mountain of tangled rubble.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
The siblings tangled for years in litigation over control of their parents’ house, court documents show.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026
But if the author’s history of their tangled relationship is any guide, self-interest will always draw Berlin and Moscow back together.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
The process can be compared to cutting a tangled cable to remove twists and then reconnecting it.
From Science Daily • Jun. 21, 2026
There were feathers tangled in her hair...a lot of them, piled on the floor beside her and, Clara realized with a sickening lurch, actively sprouting from the back of her neck.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
