Word
entangled
Phoneticsen·tan·gled
US/ɛnˈtæŋɡəɫd/
UK/ɛntˈæŋɡəld/
Definition
adj. caught or twisted in something like a net or a complicated situation. It describes being stuck in a way that is hard to get out of.
adj. twisted together in a physical mass or caught in a complex, difficult situation. Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'become' or 'get'.
Examples
“The bird's wing was entangled in the fishing line.”
“The two companies became entangled in a legal battle that lasted for several years.”
“The dolphin became entangled in a discarded plastic net, requiring a team of divers to carefully cut it loose before it could return to the open sea.”
Examples
simple
“The bird's wing was entangled in the fishing line.”
contextual
“The two companies became entangled in a legal battle that lasted for several years.”
complex
“The dolphin became entangled in a discarded plastic net, requiring a team of divers to carefully cut it loose before it could return to the open sea.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'in' or 'with'.
Pitfall
The wires were entangled to each other.
The wires were entangled with each other.
Entangled typically takes the preposition 'with' or 'in', not 'to'.
Real-World Examples
“The recordings were used to investigate what happened next as the entangled porpoise attempted to break free and the two animals communicated.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/entangled