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
Verb
-
Trying to pin down what a novelist actually believes is a sure way to get trapped in a labyrinth of misreadings and fallacies.—
Jeremy Gordon,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025 -
Juno orbits Jupiter once every 33 days, and the trajectory brings the spacecraft through intense radiation belts trapped by the planet's powerful magnetic field.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This little case keeps rings, necklaces, and earrings neatly tucked away, so nothing gets tangled—or worse, left behind.—
Kayla Kitts,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
-
True moral dilemmas, which become tangled in ways that seem impossible to unravel, with his private life.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Swift was initially ensnared in the fight when Baldoni filed a dueling defamation lawsuit against Lively that included claims Swift was present during a pivotal meeting at Lively’s Tribeca penthouse that involved Lively’s efforts to make changes to the movie script.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Citizens of richer countries, like South Korea, have been ensnared and tortured in Cambodia’s scam compounds, though the Cambodian National Police deny this.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Lam advocates for a broad reintroduction of discretion, through which people enmeshed in bureaucracies would be given more room to make individual decisions.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
-
As Stewart makes clear, conjuring has been enmeshed in American life for centuries.—
Danielle Amir Jackson,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Ensnarled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensnarled. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share