Synonyms of tangled

tangled 1 of 2

adjective

ˈtaŋ-gəld 

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

• complicated
• intricate
• complicate
• complex
• sophisticated
• convoluted
• knotty
• labyrinthine
• involved
• elaborate
• byzantine
• baroque
• labyrinthian
• difficult
• involute
• varied
• daedal
• mixed
• composite
• heterogeneous
• multifaceted
• multifarious
• challenging
• compound
• overcomplicated
• unintelligible
• incomprehensible
• overcomplex
• tough
• inexplicable
• multibranched
• multipart
• unfathomable
• impenetrable
• Kafkaesque

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• plain
• simple
• uncomplicated
• simplistic
• simplified
• uniform
• homogeneous
• noncomplicated
• noncomplex
• oversimplified
• unvaried

tangled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tangle

1

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

• trapped
• enmeshed
• ensnared
• entangled
• entrapped
• meshed
• snared
• ensnarled
• involved
• netted
• captured
• entoiled
• caught up
• implicated
• embroiled
• mired
• collared
• birdlimed
• bagged

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• detached
• untangled
• disentangled
• disengaged
• cleared
• freed
• liberated
• extricated

2

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

• knotted
• jumbled
• intertwined
• snarled
• braided
• entangled
• scrambled
• wound
• interlaced
• interwove
• twined
• entwined
• intertwisted
• scrabbled
• plaited
• writhed
• wove
• enlaced
• wreathed
• inwove
• entwisted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• untangled
• disentangled
• untwisted
• unraveled
• unknotted
• untwined
• unsnarled
• unscrambled
• unwove

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tangled

Adjective

The tangled search included multiple standoffs, a house set ablaze and an apparent communication disconnect between local police and the nation’s top law enforcement official. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 24 June 2026

This tangled relationship between Lestat and Armand, and all the guilt Lestat carries from it, provides a major breakthrough for Molloy’s documentary, and the journalist reacts with giddy, off-putting glee. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 23 June 2026

Verb

Each flowering stem adds blooms to the end, so the stems can become long and tangled over time. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 28 June 2026

However long and tangled her rap sheet, Sugar sees her illuminatory potential through the grime and shadows of an unforgiving film-noir cityscape. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 27 June 2026