English Reference

Word

entanglement

Phoneticsen·tan·gle·ment

US/ɛnˈtæŋɡəɫmənt/

UK/ɛntˈæŋɡəlmənt/

Definition

n. a situation where you are caught in something complicated and it is hard to get out of. It can also mean physical objects that are twisted together or stuck.

n. a state of being caught in a complex or difficult situation; also refers to physical objects that are twisted or knotted together. Often used in legal, political, or scientific contexts to describe a complex web of relationships or physical structures.

Examples

“The ship's propeller became entangled in a fishing net.”

“The country's deep economic entanglement with its former enemy made a quick withdrawal difficult.”

“Quantum entanglement describes a phenomenon where particles become so deeply linked that the state of one instantly influences the state of another, regardless of the distance between them.”

Examples

simple

“The ship's propeller became entangled in a fishing net.”

contextual

“The country's deep economic entanglement with its former enemy made a quick withdrawal difficult.”

complex

“Quantum entanglement describes a phenomenon where particles become so deeply linked that the state of one instantly influences the state of another, regardless of the distance between them.”

Real-World Examples

Common in science and culture writing

“Large whales remain at risk from ship strikes , entanglement in fishing gear, underwater noise, pollution and climate-driven changes in ocean ecosystems.”
Phys.org · 15 Aug 2026
“Your daughter doesn’t belong to you.” Berry-Dee’s entanglement with the families of the Babes in the Wood murder victims led to a two-decade feud that ended up in court.”
The Guardian · 15 Aug 2026

Etymology

From entangle + -ment.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

disentanglementNounentanglementNoun

Domains

MilitaryNauticalPhysics

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/entanglement

English Reference