embattled

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adjective em·bat·tled \ im-ˈba-tᵊld \

Definition of embattled

1 a :ready to fight :prepared to give battle

here once the embattled farmers stood
—R. W. Emerson

b :engaged in battle, conflict, or controversy

an embattled official accused of extortion

2 a :being a site of battle, conflict, or controversy

the embattled capital

b :characterized by conflict or controversy

an embattled presidency

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See embattled defined for kids

Examples of embattled in a Sentence

the embattled coach of a losing team

Recent Examples of embattled from the Web

Trump’s revenge on Flake may be an object lesson not only in how not to lose a seat, but also in how to destroy an embattled president’s political safety net in the midst of what may turn out to be a desperate battle for survival.

— jonathan s. tobin, National Review, "How to Give Jeff Flake’s Senate Seat to a Democrat," 18 Aug. 2017
Freeze, the embattled 47-year-old coach who seemed unshakable despite a lengthy NCAA investigation, resigned abruptly Thursday.

— josh bean, AL.com, "Social media reaction to Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze's resignation filled with snark," 20 July 2017
Aaron Ramsey scored a 79th-minute header to earn Arsenal a stunning 2-1 win over Double-chasing Chelsea on Saturday and deliver embattled manager Arsene Wenger a record seventh FA Cup.

— SI.com, "Cesc Fabregas Promised Greater Role at Chelsea as Antonio Conte Urges Spaniard to Stay," 19 July 2017
The three SEC head coaches to make their case were Auburn's Gus Malzahn, South Carolina's Will Muschamp and the embattled Hugh Freeze of Ole Miss.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "Dabo and Jimbo are right; ACC > SEC right now," 15 July 2017
Even among Russia’s youth, the opposition is an embattled minority.

— The Economist, "Rainbow Man v Bureaucrat ManYoung Russians are brainstorming ways to oppose the government," 13 July 2017
Fourth, Tillerson is now reviving the alliance between the West’s financiers of the pro-Western regime in Kiev and the embattled young reformers in Ukraine’s parliament, media, and civil society.

— elizabeth pond, The Christian Science Monitor, "In brief visit, Tillerson changes the conversation on Ukraine," 12 July 2017
Spicer’s overture statement was a farrago of false assertions, misleading stats, and embattled attitude, putting those Beltway press-corps punks on notice that there was a new sheriff in town.

— james wolcott, The Hive, "There’s Nowhere Left for Sean Spicer to Hide," 4 July 2017
Another high-ranking official is leaving the embattled Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which has been rocked by a series of controversies over extravagant spending and regulatory overreach in recent months.

— jay root, star-telegram.com, "Embattled Texas liquor agency announces third high-level departure," 3 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'embattled.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of embattled

15th century

EMBATTLED Defined for English Language Learners

embattled

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adjective

Definition of embattled for English Language Learners

: engaged in battle or conflict : surrounded by enemies
: constantly criticized or attacked

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Nglish: Translation of embattled for Spanish speakers

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Definition of embattled

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