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

The brain’s surface has ridges and valleys, and CTE tangles are found in the depths of those valleys, called the cortical sulci, and surround blood vessels. — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026

Brushing controls shedding, removes debris and prevents tangles. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Sticky beta-amyloid can build into brain-clogging plaque over decades, eventually spurring neuron-killing tau tangles that lead to symptoms. — Lauran Neergaard, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Sazan is a rugged place—strewn with rocks and tangles of trees, populated by a large colony of rats, and studded with bunkers built by the Marxist dictator Enver Hoxha to defend against an imaginary invasion. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Alice and her old friend Danny (Scoot McNairy, outstanding, like everyone else), who is still a New York cop, work through professional and personal tangles. — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 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

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

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