as in confusions
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 traps
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 knots
to twist together into a usually confused mass
that darn cat tangled the yarn I was trying to knit with
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tangles
Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Chapek’s woes as Disney chief have been well documented, from his tangles in Florida to an ugly public spat with Scarlett Johansson to alienating top executives by removing creative decision-making authority in a hugely unpopular restructuring.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
Fullness and body may come naturally, but so can long drying times, tangles, and frizz.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 17 Mar. 2026
Be wary of minor tangles, especially related to miscommunication.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
In an improbable feat of dexterity, the American fingerstyle guitarist interprets the work of the UK electronic savants, finding graceful new forms in their brain-bending tangles.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 6 Mar. 2026
Or even the kind of people who keep a hexagonal pencil within reach at all times in case of tape tangles.
—New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
In 2021, Gefen and her colleagues published research in the journal Cerebral Cortex showing that super-agers are resistant to neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles, which are abnormal protein buildups tied to Alzheimer’s.
—Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 26 Feb. 2026
The hippocampus of SuperAgers also has three times fewer tau tangles, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 25 Feb. 2026
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
To him, the vision seemed right — not in the specific locations activated by various themes but in the sense that our neuroanatomy did seem to parse the world by subject, tangles and folds of neurons lighting up in response to clouds of ideas.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Chapek’s woes as Disney chief have been well documented, from his tangles in Florida to an ugly public spat with Scarlett Johansson to alienating top executives by removing creative decision-making authority in a hugely unpopular restructuring.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
Fullness and body may come naturally, but so can long drying times, tangles, and frizz.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 17 Mar. 2026
Be wary of minor tangles, especially related to miscommunication.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
In an improbable feat of dexterity, the American fingerstyle guitarist interprets the work of the UK electronic savants, finding graceful new forms in their brain-bending tangles.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 6 Mar. 2026
Or even the kind of people who keep a hexagonal pencil within reach at all times in case of tape tangles.
—New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
In 2021, Gefen and her colleagues published research in the journal Cerebral Cortex showing that super-agers are resistant to neurofibrillary, or tau, tangles, which are abnormal protein buildups tied to Alzheimer’s.
—Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 26 Feb. 2026
The hippocampus of SuperAgers also has three times fewer tau tangles, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
Wire pin or slicker brushes work best for dogs with long hair that tangles easily.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tangles
Noun
-
Before the Lost Weekend, John and Yoko had their New York Year — turning their personal confusions into beautifully vivid moments of rage and pain.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This continental collision gave rise to the Zagros Mountains, which push down on the Arabian plate in a way that has created a basin in Earth’s crust that traps hydrocarbons—hence, all that oil and gas.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
12 Mar. 2026
-
His handle is both his redeeming trait and what traps him in the half court.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
No matter how many knots a lawyer ties themselves in to get there, legality is not legitimacy.—
Jon Duffy,
Mercury News,
29 Nov. 2025
-
Stories like these usually lurch from one contrivance and complication to the next, but Chad Powers knots itself into a genuinely thorny conflict by the finale.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Over-the-counter pesticides and fogs will not do the job.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Barresi and Cuellar hold each other up with palpable tenderness, each one crafting a long, poignant arc from innocence through the fogs and thorns of experience.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
21 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Security snarls The TSA PreCheck line at terminal B in LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, on March 27, 2026.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Beyond the red tape that snarls any new apartment, condominiums confront an additional hurdle.—
M. Nolan Gray,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tangles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tangles. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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