snarled
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Tangled in a complex, knotted, or twisted mass: Describes something, often a physical material like string, hair, or wire, that has become intricately and confusedly entangled, forming knots or snarls.
- Figuratively, complicated or confused: Can describe a situation, process, or system that is extremely complex, entangled, and difficult to resolve or understand.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- She tried to comb her snarled hair after the windy walk.
- The old fishing line in the drawer was completely snarled.
- The traffic was snarled for miles due to the accident. (figurative)
- The negotiations became snarled in bureaucratic details. (figurative)
Advanced Usage
- "To become snarled": To transition into a tangled or complicated state.
- The yarn became snarled as the cat played with it.
- "Snarled up": Often used as a phrasal adjective with the same meaning as "snarled," emphasizing the state of being entangled or blocked.
- The wires behind the desk were all snarled up.
Variants and Related Words
- Snarl (verb): To become tangled or to cause something to become tangled. Also, to growl aggressively.
- The thread snarled on the sewing machine spool.
- Snarl (noun): A tangled mass or knot. Also, an aggressive growl.
- He cut out the snarl in the rope.
- Entangled (adj.): Similar meaning, often used in both literal and figurative contexts.
- Knotty (adj.): Full of knots; figuratively, intricate and difficult.
Synonyms
- Tangled
- Knotted
- Matted
- Enmeshed
- Jumbled
Related Phrases
- A snarled mess: Emphasizes the disordered, knotted state.
- The necklace was a snarled mess in the jewelry box.
- To unsnarl: To untangle or resolve a complicated situation (less common).
- It took an hour to unsnarl the traffic jam.
Adjective
- tangled in knots or snarls
- a mass of knotted string
- snarled thread