tangled

[ tang-guh ld ]

/ ˈtæŋ gəld /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tangled ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

snarled, interlaced, or mixed up: tangled thread.

very complicated, intricate, or involved: tangled bureaucratic procedures.

Nearby words

tangier disease, tangier zone, tangka, tangle, tangleberry, tangled, tanglewood, tango, tangor, tangoreceptor, tangram

Origin of tangled

First recorded in 1580–90; tangle¹ + -ed²

Definition for tangled (2 of 2)

tangle

[ tang-guhl ]

/ ˈtæŋ gəl /

verb (used with object), tan·gled, tan·gling.

to bring together into a mass of confusedly interlaced or intertwisted threads, strands, or other like parts; snarl.

to involve in something that hampers, obstructs, or overgrows: The bushes were tangled with vines.

to catch and hold in or as if in a net or snare.

verb (used without object), tan·gled, tan·gling.

to be or become tangled.

Informal. to come into conflict; fight or argue: I don't want to tangle with him over the new ruling.

noun

a tangled condition or situation.

a tangled or confused mass or assemblage of something.

a confused jumble: a tangle of contradictory statements.

Informal. a conflict; disagreement: He got into a tangle with the governor.

Origin of tangle

1300–50; Middle English tangilen, tagilen to entangle < Scandinavian; compare Swedish (dial.) taggla to disarrange

SYNONYMS FOR tangle

8 snarl, net, labyrinth, maze.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tangle ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formstan·gle·ment, nountan·gler, nountan·gly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tangled

The relationships, and motivations of their chief participants, are as tangled and shady as you expect of the super-rich.
The Real-Life ‘Downton’ Millionairesses Who Changed Britain|Tim Teeman|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He acquired $1 billion worth of art and tangled scandalously with the authorities.
The Mysterious Death of the Art World’s Favorite Sheikh|Lizzie Crocker|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The drain clogs in the shower every few days, and the clump of tangled brown hair is springy between my fingers.
Birth Control Made My Hair Fall Out, and I’m Not the Only One|Molly Oswaks|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Palmer is, of course, just as tangled up, as human, as everybody else--and he knows it.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

What astonishment that such beauty urges me into bed for a nightlong sweaty roll in tangled sheets.
Our Doomed Love Affair with Summer|P. J. O’Rourke|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There were grassy stretches and slopes, great trees, and terraces covered with tangled masses of vines and flowers.
The Squirrel Inn|Frank R. Stockton
So tangled and unyielding was the mass that even dynamite had little effect upon it.
The Complete Story of the Galveston Horror|Various
And she walked straight on into the tangled thicket before her; and the forest parted to right and left, and she walked out.
The Treasure of the Isle of Mist|W. W. Tarn
I rushed to the door and looked 'round hurriedly; but only the tangled bushes and shrubs met my gaze.
The House on the Borderland|William Hope Hodgson
It was a marshy, dense, and tangled coppice projecting like a sabre tooth between the brigades of Lane and Archer.
The Long Roll|Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for tangled (1 of 2)

tangle

/ (ˈtæŋɡəl) /

noun

a confused or complicated mass of hairs, lines, fibres, etc, knotted or coiled together

a complicated problem, condition, or situation

verb

to become or cause to become twisted together in a confused mass

(intr often foll by with) to come into conflict; contendto tangle with the police

(tr) to involve in matters which hinder or confuseto tangle someone in a shady deal

(tr) to ensnare or trap, as in a net

Derived Formstanglement, nountangler, nountangly, adjective

Word Origin for tangle

C14 tangilen, variant of tagilen, probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish dialect taggla to entangle

British Dictionary definitions for tangled (2 of 2)

tangle

tangle weed

/ (ˈtæŋɡəl) /

noun

alternative names (esp Scot) for oarweed

Word Origin for tangle

C16: of Scandinavian origin: compare Danish tang seaweed

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 tangled (1 of 2)

tangle

mid-14c., nasalized variant of tagilen "to involve in a difficult situation, entangle," from a Scandinavian source (cf. dialectal Swedish taggla "to disorder," Old Norse þongull "seaweed"). In reference to material things, from c.1500. Meaning "to fight with" is American English, first recorded 1928. Related: Tangled; tangling. Tanglefoot (1859) was Western American English slang for "strong whiskey."

Word Origin and History for tangled (1 of 2)

tangle

1610s, "a tangled condition," from tangle (v.).

tangled

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of tangled

Definition for tangled (2 of 2)

tangle

verb (used with object), tan·gled, tan·gling.

verb (used without object), tan·gled, tan·gling.

noun

Origin of tangle

Examples from the Web for tangled

British Dictionary definitions for tangled (1 of 2)

tangle

noun

verb

Word Origin for tangle

British Dictionary definitions for tangled (2 of 2)

tangle

tangle weed

noun

Word Origin for tangle

Word Origin and History for tangled (1 of 2)

tangle

Word Origin and History for tangled (1 of 2)

tangle