# tangled

/ˈtæŋɡəɫd/ (US) · /tˈæŋɡəld/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tangled
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. physically messy

adjective · CEFR B2

twisted together in a messy or confused way.

For teachers: intertwined or interlaced in a confused, disordered mass.

- She spent twenty minutes trying to fix her tangled hair after the windy walk.
- The old fishing nets lay in a tangled heap on the deck, covered in dried seaweed and salt from the morning's work.

### 2. complicated

adjective · CEFR B2

very complicated and difficult to understand or deal with.

For teachers: highly intricate, involved, or complicated; often used for abstract concepts like relationships or legal issues.

- The two companies have a tangled history of arguments and legal problems.
- The investigators spent months unravelling the tangled web of financial transactions that the CEO had used to hide the company's losses.

## Examples

- My headphones are always tangled when I take them out.
- The old fishing net lay tangled on the deck, making it impossible to use without hours of work.
- The detective spent months trying to unravel the tangled web of lies that the suspects had created to protect their leader.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.