tangled

adjective

tan·​gled ˈtaŋ-gəld 

1

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

2

: very involved : exceedingly complex

Synonyms

• complicated
• intricate
• complicate
• complex

Examples of tangled in a Sentence

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

Crane and Radley begin digging and find a tangled web of lies, institutional cover-ups, and moral compromise. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025

Snatches of conversation amid busy crowd scenes fill in the tangled web of alliances and grudges holding this land together, or tearing it apart. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025

In this third and final season, a dream honeymoon in a tropical paradise takes a sinister turn, pulling Camila and Miguel into a tangled web of secrets and betrayal. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 31 July 2025

Since 2019, OpenAI has methodically shifted power away from its nonprofit parent organization into a tangled web of business deals and investor relationships. —Orson Aguilar, Mercury News, 10 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tangled

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