TANGLED Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

tangled 1 of 2

adjective

ˈtaŋ-gəld

Definition of tangled

as in complicated

having many parts or aspects that are usually interrelated it helps to have a lawyer to sort out the tangled contracts that home buyers typically have to contend with

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tangled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tangle

as in trapped

to catch or hold as if in a net was at last tangled in the web of lies that he had told to everyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in knotted

to twist together into a usually confused mass that darn cat tangled the yarn I was trying to knit with

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tangled

Adjective

The snag underscores how tangled sports media rights have become, and the gaps that remain. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026 In the tangled greenery of a Ugandan national park, mountain gorillas sit among the leaves, calmly carrying on as tourists trek into their forest home. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

Verb

Patients experiencing miscarriage get tangled in the same medically unnecessary red tape — and Thursday’s hearing indicated that birth control is next. — Julie F. Kay, STAT, 25 Sep. 2026 Anderson was spotted with her platinum bob tousled and tangled at the Tory Burch fall 2026 ready-to-wear show during New York Fashion Week in February, too. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tangled

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangled

Adjective

International funding, Patil says, means long waits, complicated contracts and co-production treaties, and Indian filmmakers end up chasing the same grants as professionals from wealthier countries.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Birmingham Industrious, unassuming Birmingham has overcome an at-times fraught and complicated past to develop food, music, and cultural scenes that show the world why it's called the Magic City.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of complicated

Verb

In knitting, loops from the middle of an entangled yarn are slipped through one another so the yarn holds its position but isn’t knotted together.

— Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
There weren’t many in Saturday’s lockdown defensive effort, but Grade-A scoring opportunities still emerged, the most dangerous arriving midway through the final period, with the score knotted 1-1.

— Janson Duench, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of knotted

Adjective

Many of the things that make reactors so difficult to operate—intricate regulations, along with complex systems for management and maintenance—are exactly the kinds of tasks that AI is good at.

— Andrew Moseman, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Oct. 2026
Mungiu may have a less sadistic streak and a more active camera, but the two filmmakers share a particular commitment to narrative indeterminacy, devising intricate yet incomplete crime-story plots that function broadly as sociopolitical allegories.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of intricate

Verb

My sister was enmeshed for seventeen years in a cycle, one in which denial plays a huge role.

— Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Revenue was only around $8 billion at the time, and the league was enmeshed in controversy, from Spygate to concussion hearings to a pending lockout.

— Will Leitch, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of enmeshed

Adjective

The company very deliberately targets large enterprise customers, which have the biggest and most complicate supply chain ecosystems.

— David Prosser, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Wilcox noted that overlaps between substance use and suicide complicate reduction efforts.

— Danielle J. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026

Definition of complicate

Adjective

In an era when high-performance vehicles often grow larger, heavier, and more complex with each successive generation, part of the Carrera T’s appeal lies in its restraint.

— Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
Advances robot Intelligence Neuron AI is a robot foundation model designed to combine visual perception, touch, sound, language, and memory to help robots perform complex tasks.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of complex

Browse Nearby Words

tangle

tangled

tanglement

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tangled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangled. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of tangled

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

syncretic

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes