tangled
Mixed up in knots so you can’t easily separate it.
Twisted together in a messy way so that the parts are caught and hard to separate.
Complicated and difficult to understand or deal with.
Complicated, confusing, or difficult to follow because many things are connected in a messy way.
Having complicated feelings or relationships.
Involving complicated emotional connections or relationships that are difficult to separate or think about clearly.
Growing in a thick, mixed way that is hard to go through.
Growing thickly and interwoven, making it hard to see through or move through.
Holding and twisting together while fighting.
Closely caught together with someone or something in a physical struggle, so movement is restricted.
- Base: tangled
a tangled web
1A complicated, tricky situation
A very complex and confusing situation, often with lies or secrets.
- He created a tangled web of deceit that was hard to escape.
- The movie tells the story of a tangled web of family drama.
a tangled web
1complex situation, often from lies
A complicated situation with many connected problems, often caused by lying.
- The journalist uncovered a tangled web of lies behind the scandal.
- By the end of the series, the characters were caught in a tangled web of secrets.
- One small lie can grow into a tangled web that’s hard to escape.
- It became a tangled web of lies.
- They were trapped in a tangled web.
all tangled up
1confused or emotionally mixed up
Confused or upset because things feel complicated.
- I’m all tangled up about what to do next.
- He got all tangled up trying to explain his reasons.
- She’s all tangled up in guilt and can’t relax.
- I feel all tangled up.
- He is all tangled up about it.
get tangled up in [something]
1become involved in trouble
To get involved in a difficult situation.
- He got tangled up in a long dispute with his landlord.
- She got tangled up in office politics and regretted it.
- The company got tangled up in a legal battle that lasted years.
- I don’t want to get tangled up in this.
- He got tangled up in problems.
get tangled up with [someone]
1get involved with a person
To get involved with a person and have problems because of it.
- She got tangled up with people who were always looking for a fight.
- He got tangled up with an older crowd and started skipping school.
- I don’t want to get tangled up with him again.
- He got tangled up with bad friends.
- She got tangled up with the wrong person.