tangled

1 of 2

adjective

tan·​gled ˈtaŋ-gəld 

1

: existing in or giving the appearance of a state of utter disorder

2

: very involved : exceedingly complex

tangled

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of tangle entry 1

Synonyms of tangled

Adjective

• complicated
• intricate
• complicate
• complex

Examples of tangled in a Sentence

Adjective

it helps to have a lawyer to sort out the tangled contracts that home buyers typically have to contend with

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The prosecution, a rare Department of Justice criminal case against a former employee, revisits a tangled and peculiar saga that roiled the final weeks of the 2020 race. — Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

In the video, Frantz approaches the tangled animal with what appear to be pruning shears and starts snipping away at the wires. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2026

Aldabra’s landscape consists of sharp coral and thick, tangled vegetation. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026

Geese did something similar with last year’s Getting Killed, their own neutron star of an album, gobbling up the tangled lineages of rock, punk, and drone music in New York City with the ravenous appetites of kids weaned on the infinite scroll. — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tangled

• angled
• dangled
• fangled
• jangled
• mangled
• spangled
• strangled
• wrangled
• disentangled
• entangled
• newfangled
• untangled