as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
my mind's been in a tangle ever since I learned some disturbing information about an online acquaintance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to trap
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
2
as in to knot
to twist together into a usually confused mass
that darn cat tangled the yarn I was trying to knit with
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tangle
Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Synthesis techniques tended to produce a tangle of mostly short nanotubes; those that extended for more than a couple of centimeters remain rare.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
Shortly before the break, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels got tangled up with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, which led to a fight after which both were ejected.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tangle
Noun
Across the street, through a thick tangle of forest, the Khodymchuks’ building stood tall and gray in the snow.
—Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Synthesis techniques tended to produce a tangle of mostly short nanotubes; those that extended for more than a couple of centimeters remain rare.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
No punches, but the two tangled, spilling toward the sideline as Okongwu tried to separate them.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
Shortly before the break, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels got tangled up with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, which led to a fight after which both were ejected.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangle
Noun
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Little ones who came out of the casket viewing with their parents wore expressions of confusion and shock after witnessing eight bodies that didn’t look so different from their own.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
-
Online reactions to the incident ranged from confusion to humor.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
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More than 2,000 vehicles were damaged, and some survivors were trapped for as long as 14 hours before rescue crews reached them.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
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In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, young boys gradually become feral and sadistic when trapped on an island together, and in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero magically shipwrecks his brother and his allies so that they will all be exiled together under his watch.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
The match was knotted through the first half in pouring rain.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
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Once the game was knotted up at three, Bennett settled down and made sure to keep it that way.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
8 May 2026
Noun
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These sensors enable real-time monitoring across a wide range of conditions, including low light, fog, and obstructed environments, while onboard AI and machine-learning classifiers help identify and flag potential threats.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
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His 2025 tape, WOMB, embodied this through his pensive grumbles over wispy vocal chops; each bar that cut through the fog was steeped in sober gravitas.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangle. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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