Definition

1. Noun:
   • A complicated or compromising situation or relationship: A state of being involved in a difficult, confusing, or problematic circumstance, often one that is hard to escape from.
   • The action or condition of becoming tangled or entwined: The physical state of things being twisted together in a complicated mass.
   • A military obstacle designed to impede movement: A defensive structure, such as a barrier of barbed wire or stakes.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The political entanglement between the two countries led to a prolonged conflict. (The complicated political involvement caused a long-lasting conflict.)
  • She spent an hour trying to undo the entanglement of necklaces in her jewelry box. (She spent an hour trying to untangle the twisted mass of necklaces.)
  • Soldiers laid down an entanglement of barbed wire to protect their position. (Soldiers placed a defensive barrier of barbed wire.)

Advanced Usage

• "Romantic entanglement": A complicated, often secretive, romantic relationship.
  • He wanted to avoid any romantic entanglement while focusing on his career.
• "Quantum entanglement" (Physics): A phenomenon where particles become linked, and the state of one instantly influences the state of another, regardless of distance.
  • Scientists are studying quantum entanglement for potential use in computing.

Variants and Related Words

• Entangle (verb): To cause something to become twisted together or caught in a trap; to involve someone in a difficult or complicated situation.
  • The fishing line became entangled in the propeller.
• Entangling (adjective): Describing something that causes entanglement.
  • The entangling vines made the path impassable.

Synonyms

• Complication: A factor that makes a situation more complex or difficult.
• Imbroglio: An extremely confused, complicated, or embarrassing situation.
• Snarl: A tangled or confused mass or situation.

Related Phrases

• "Web of entanglement": A metaphor for a complex and inescapable network of problems or relationships.
  • He was caught in a web of legal entanglements.

Idioms

• "To avoid entanglement": To deliberately stay out of complicated situations or commitments.
  • The country pursued a policy of neutrality to avoid foreign entanglements.

Noun

1. an intricate trap that entangles or ensnares its victim