as in confusion
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to trap
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to knot
to twist together into a usually confused mass
that darn cat tangled the yarn I was trying to knit with
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tangle
Sarah Felbin, Allure, 26 Apr. 2026
Across the street, through a thick tangle of forest, the Khodymchuks’ building stood tall and gray in the snow.
—Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Technology and nature tangled together.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tangle
Noun
This can happen due to your natural hair texture, dryness, or environmental stressors like wind, friction from your pillowcase, or pollution—your cuticles can catch on each other like Velcro, Small says, causing tangles.
—Sarah Felbin, Allure, 26 Apr. 2026
Across the street, through a thick tangle of forest, the Khodymchuks’ building stood tall and gray in the snow.
—Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
Somewhere along the way, though, conservation became tangled up in broader political culture wars.
—Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Technology and nature tangled together.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangle
Noun
-
Constant changes and slow IRS guidance led to widespread confusion and, eventually, abuse that forced the IRS to put a moratorium on claims on September 14, 2023 until August 8, 2024.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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So there’s little doubt that the emergence of jumbo-size Messi’s across America’s lawns create more intrigue than confusion, even in a nation where soccer as a whole remains a second-tier sport.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Although Djena wasn’t literally trapped in the Toures’ home, she was trapped by her circumstances.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Once trapped, the ions are reduced to a ground state through lasers, similar to what freezing them at absolute zero achieves.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
With the game knotted at 1-1, the match went into extra time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
Surprisingly the most expensive hairpiece so far has been Attenborough’s, which Fortune reveals was a hybrid of a cheap £20 ($26) wig at the back combined with tens of man-hours knotting individual strands of hair onto a lace front to create the centenarian’s familiar pate.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Every leaf, branch, and gust of wind bounces sound waves back to the hunter, creating a deafening acoustic fog.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
-
When an agent triggers a bad action, ownership often dissolves into a fog of prompts, product decisions and access policies.—
Oleg Malii,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangle. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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