1
as in tangled
to twist together into a usually confused mass
in the process of taking down the Christmas tree, we managed to entangle the string of lights into a hopeless mess of wires
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in trapped
to catch or hold as if in a net
the young runaway gradually became entangled in a web of lies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in complicated
to make complex or difficult
the history of Alexander the Great is entangled by variant accounts of his exploits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of entangled
The Internet ran amok in his comic Worldtr33, toxic friendships became entangled in his Nice House On… books, the moneyed elite behaved badly in Exquisite Corpses.
—
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
At the center are Lucy (Grace Van Patten), a college student drawn into an on-again, off-again relationship with Stephen (Jackson White), a charismatic upperclassman still entangled with Diana (Alicia Crowder).
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
Related Stories There, June becomes entangled in a love triangle with two boys who are best friends and polar opposites.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The molecules in an apple are described by quantum mechanics, and photons of light bouncing off the surface molecules get entangled with them.
—Quanta Magazine, 13 Feb. 2026
Its primary quartet of actors — Stellan Skarsgård as a legendary director angling for a comeback, Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as his daughters and Elle Fanning as an A-list actor who becomes entangled in the family drama — all received nods.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Because these newly real particles originated as a pair, they are entangled, retaining a connection regardless of how far they may be separated.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
More than 85% of the right whale population has been entangled in fishing gear, and some as much as nine times, Amy Knowlton, a senior scientist in the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in a previous interview.
—Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Right now, Mercury and Jupiter are entangled across the areas of your chart that highlight partnerships and, contrarily, alone time.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
At the center are Lucy (Grace Van Patten), a college student drawn into an on-again, off-again relationship with Stephen (Jackson White), a charismatic upperclassman still entangled with Diana (Alicia Crowder).
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
Related Stories There, June becomes entangled in a love triangle with two boys who are best friends and polar opposites.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The molecules in an apple are described by quantum mechanics, and photons of light bouncing off the surface molecules get entangled with them.
—Quanta Magazine, 13 Feb. 2026
Its primary quartet of actors — Stellan Skarsgård as a legendary director angling for a comeback, Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as his daughters and Elle Fanning as an A-list actor who becomes entangled in the family drama — all received nods.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Because these newly real particles originated as a pair, they are entangled, retaining a connection regardless of how far they may be separated.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
More than 85% of the right whale population has been entangled in fishing gear, and some as much as nine times, Amy Knowlton, a senior scientist in the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in a previous interview.
—Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Right now, Mercury and Jupiter are entangled across the areas of your chart that highlight partnerships and, contrarily, alone time.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for entangled
Verb
-
They can get tangled in recycling machinery and require expensive repairs.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The Punjab provincial government required motorbike riders to install a safety rod between their handlebars to keep kite strings stretched across roads from getting tangled around their necks — a past cause of injury and death.—
Betsy Joles,
NPR,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Pressure has been mounting on Australia, the US, the UK and other countries to repatriate thousands of citizens, most of them women and children, who have been trapped in detention camps in Syria since the fall of the Caliphate more than five years ago.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Dirt and fine particles trapped in a microfiber cloth and stiff fibers from lower-quality cloths can cause tiny scratches on the surface.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Wading conditions were excellent, but ultra-low water also complicated the fishing.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
People who have filed claims complain that the review process has been complicated, frustrating and painstakingly slow and that cases are closed with no notice and no money awarded for their losses.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Sophomore Nahla Whittier’s two free throws to start the fourth period knotted the game at 27-27.—
Mike Waters,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Pumas needed a 3-0 win to advance, since the first tiebreaker if the aggregate score is knotted is away goals and Pumas had scored at Snapdragon Stadium last week in the 4-1 loss.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Next to the particularities of place—the Midwest, the South—or enmeshed with it, are the particularities of language, of idiom, and ways of saying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
-
On Wall Street, the recovery for bitcoin helped stocks of companies enmeshed in the crypto economy.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the best kitchens, style and function are not mutually exclusive, but seamlessly intertwined.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Feb. 2026
-
But his empire is also heavily intertwined in the publishing world; his son, Lachlan Murdoch, is the chairman of News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal among other outlets including The Times and the New York Post.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Entangled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/entangled. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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