Synonyms of tangles

tangles 1 of 2

noun

plural of tangle

as in confusions

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

• confusions
• fogs
• perplexities
• mazes
• distractions
• mystifications
• bewilderments
• puzzlements
• muddles
• distresses
• discomforts
• discombobulations
• whirls
• embarrassments
• bamboozlements
• perturbations
• bafflements
• agitations
• befuddlements
• head-scratchings
• bemusements
• dismays
• mortifications
• discomfitures
• disturbances
• disquiets
• upsets
• turmoils
• chagrins
• commotions
• abashments
• disconcertments
• flurries
• dithers
• flusters
• fusses
• stews
• bothers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assurances
• convictions
• certainties
• confidences
• certitudes

tangles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of tangle

1

as in traps

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

• traps
• enmeshes
• meshes
• entraps
• ensnares
• nets
• snares
• entangles
• involves
• captures
• ensnarls
• entoils
• implicates
• catches up
• embroils
• collars
• bags
• mires
• birdlimes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• untangles
• detaches
• disentangles
• disengages
• frees
• liberates
• clears
• extricates

2

as in knots

to twist together into a usually confused mass

that darn cat tangled the yarn I was trying to knit with

Synonyms & Similar Words

• knots
• snarls
• jumbles
• weaves
• intertwines
• entangles
• interlaces
• braids
• interweaves
• scrambles
• twines
• plaits
• winds
• intertwists
• scrabbles
• entwines
• writhes
• wreathes
• enlaces
• inweaves
• entwists

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• untangles
• disentangles
• untwists
• unravels
• unscrambles
• unknots
• untwines
• unsnarls
• unweaves

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tangles

Noun

Its windows framed the skyline through tangles of dark, leathery holm-oak leaves and, disorientingly, thick tree trunks rooted in enormous planters and secured against storms by vertical cables. — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Supply chains in many industries are full of tangles, but for semiconductor tech, that’s putting it lightly. — IEEE Spectrum, 15 Aug. 2026

Plaques and tangles are two hallmark brain changes associated with the common dementia. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

In the nearly 3,000 patients who donated their brains to science, the brains of those who took estrogen were less likely to show neurobiological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, such as beta-amyloid plaques or tangles of tau protein. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026

An overabundance of the SORLA protein protected against a number of biological processes linked to the formation of tau tangles and progression of neurodegeneration. — Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 July 2026

During this time, the brain starts to shrink, and the misfolded proteins that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s begin to build up — sticky amyloid beta plaques in the brain and tau tangles in neurons. — Richard Sima, Washington Post, 21 July 2026

Conditioning first can also help minimize tangles and create a smoother surface before shampooing. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 17 July 2026

While some experts believe the brain needs some amount of tau in order to function normally and maintain the architecture of neurons, abnormal tau tangles can contribute to cognitive problems associated with Alzheimer's. — Alice Park, Time, 15 July 2026

Verb

So here's the part where DC's comic book logic tangles itself into knots. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 15 Aug. 2026

But consent decrees are legally and politically complicated, and the treatment of migrant children further tangles the situation. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

Wire pin or slicker brushes work best for dogs with long hair that tangles easily. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025