tangle

Meaning

Verb

1. To mix together or intertwine.
2. To become mixed together or intertwined.
3. To enter into an argument, conflict, dispute, or fight.
4. To catch and hold.

Noun

1. A tangled twisted mass.
2. A complicated or confused state or condition.
3. An argument, conflict, dispute, or fight.
4. A region of the projection of a knot such that the knot crosses its perimeter exactly four times.
5. A paired helical fragment of tau protein found in a nerve cell and associated with Alzheimer's disease.
6. A form of art which consists of sections filled with repetitive patterns.

Noun

1. Any large type of seaweed, especially a species of Laminaria.
2. An instrument consisting essentially of an iron bar to which are attached swabs, or bundles of frayed rope, or other similar substances, used to capture starfishes, sea urchins, and other similar creatures living at the bottom of the sea.
3. Any long hanging thing, even a lanky person.

Synonyms

snarl

chaos

entanglement

muddle

knot

🪢

entangle

confusion

mess

confuse

tousle

ravel

mat

complication

dishevel

jumble

complicate

involve

embroil

get twisted

tangle up

thicket

maze

trouble

obfuscate

kink

clutter

sweep up

agitate

sweep

get tangled up

muss

snare

disarrange

become tangled

mix up

difficulties

drag in

complicated

disrupt

drag

twist

intermix

intricacy

intrigue

involvement

jungle

kelp

knap

labyrinth

litter

mass

meld

mess up

mess-up

messy

mingle

mix

mix in

mix-up

motley

muck up

mud

nag

obscure

overgrown

paddle

perplex

pleach

plot

puddle

puzzle

quarrel

randomise

resolve

rile

roil

ruffle

rumple

scattered

scramble

scrape

seaweed

shake up

snag

snarl up

sophisticate

stir

stir up

stump

toss

touch

tussle

addle

weeds

become complicated

clutter up

cockup

dinge

dog’s breakfast

in disorder

louse up

throw together

gather in confused crowd

coil around

conflict

cause complications

dog’s dinner

put in disorder

upset

adulterate

ball

be

bedevil

blend

break up

catch

combo

commingle

commix

complexify

compound

concoct

confect

connect

conspiracy

derange

disarray

disorder

disorderliness

disorganise

disorganize

dispute

disputes

dissolve

disturb

embrangle

enmesh

flummox

fold

foul

fox

🦊

fuddle

gallimaufry

hassle

heterodyne

imbroglio

immingle

immix

implicate

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtæŋ.ɡl̩/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: tanglen

Cognate with Swedish: taggla

Cognate with Old Norse: þǫngull

Cognate with Norwegian: tongul

Cognate with Faroese: tongul

Cognate with Icelandic: þöngull

In summary

From Middle English tanglen, probably of North Germanic origin, compare Swedish taggla (“to disorder”), Old Norse þǫngull, þang (“tangle; seaweed”), see Etymology 2 below.