ensnarled

verb

past tense of ensnarl
as in trapped
to catch or hold as if in a net for two years the couple was ensnarled in the red tape of an international adoption

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensnarled
  1. trapped
  2. tangled
  3. ensnared
  4. enmeshed
Verb
  • This year, heavensouls dropped westside trapped, a showcase of plundersymphonic finesse and a tribute to Nigerian beats.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Rae, trapped in a ghetto in Novogrudok, watched the Nazis murder her mother and one of her sisters.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of trapped
Verb
  • Though dreams are tangled up in our desires, Freud’s royal road to the unconscious is not unlike the road in Lost Highway, and other similar Möbius strip horrors, such as the purgatorial Dead End.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Micelles that form in the liquid dope prevent the messy, disordered proteins from clumping and getting tangled.
    — Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of tangled
Verb
  • Rousseff was impeached for accounting maneuvering in 2016 amid a sprawling corruption probe, which also ensnared Lula.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The dragnet also ensnared countless ordinary citizens like my father.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of ensnared
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
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.

Browse Nearby Words

ensnarl
ensnarled
ensnarling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ensnarled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnarled. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of satiate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 SCRABBLE Dictionary

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All