imbroglio

noun

im·bro·glio im-ˈbrōl-(ˌ)yō How to pronounce imbroglio (audio)

plural imbroglios

: an acutely painful or embarrassing misunderstanding

: scandal sense 1a

survived the political imbroglio

: a violently confused or bitterly complicated altercation : embroilment

: an intricate or complicated situation (as in a drama or novel)

: a confused mass

Did you know?

Imbroglio and embroilment are more than just synonyms; they're also linked through etymology. Both descend from the Middle French verb embrouiller (which has the same meaning as embroil), from the prefix em-, meaning "thoroughly," plus brouiller, meaning "to mix" or "to confuse." (Brouiller is itself a descendant of an Old French word for "broth.") Early in the 17th century, English speakers began using embroil, a direct adaptation of embrouiller, as well as the noun embroilment. Meanwhile, the Italians were using their own alteration of embrouiller: imbrogliare, meaning "to entangle." In the mid-18th century, English speakers embraced the Italian noun imbroglio as well.

Example Sentences

a celebrated imbroglio involving some big names in the New York literary scene

Recent Examples on the Web Disney has declined to comment on its Florida imbroglio in recent days.

Alex Leary, WSJ, 29 Apr. 2022 But my assessment is that Beijing will be very careful not to be dragged into the Russian imbroglio and and be very careful to avoid U.S. and European sanctions.

CBS News, 29 June 2022 The imbroglio kicked off a week ago with the publication of Lorenz’s article on the Internet content creators who thrived from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial.

Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 10 June 2022 The imbroglio over the bananas was becoming increasingly desperate for One Banana.

John Francis Peters, ProPublica, 16 June 2022 Despite that ongoing legal imbroglio, GTA has flourished in Everett over the past four years, collecting nearly $8 million on city contracts for paving, landscaping, and more water main replacements.

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2022 Social media picked up the imbroglio, and the bar’s reputation plummeted.

Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 31 Mar. 2022 The conflict may have involved a mundane debate over carpet versus tile, but in statistical terms was more likely to result in an imbroglio with home contractors or builders.

Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 13 Apr. 2022 For Zubrin, the entire Ukraine imbroglio is a black-and-white phenomenon: Either Ukraine emerges victorious, or the U.S. watches as a Chinese surrogate, otherwise known as Putin’s Russia, dominates the Eurasian continent.

Daniel Depetris, National Review, 23 Mar. 2022 See More

单词	imbroglio
释义	imbroglio noun im·bro·glio im-ˈbrōl-(ˌ)yō plural imbroglios 1 a : an acutely painful or embarrassing misunderstanding b : scandal sense 1a survived the political imbroglio c : a violently confused or bitterly complicated altercation : embroilment d : an intricate or complicated situation (as in a drama or novel) 2 : a confused mass Did you know? Imbroglio and embroilment are more than just synonyms; they're also linked through etymology. Both descend from the Middle French verb embrouiller (which has the same meaning as embroil), from the prefix em-, meaning "thoroughly," plus brouiller, meaning "to mix" or "to confuse." (Brouiller is itself a descendant of an Old French word for "broth.") Early in the 17th century, English speakers began using embroil, a direct adaptation of embrouiller, as well as the noun embroilment. Meanwhile, the Italians were using their own alteration of embrouiller: imbrogliare, meaning "to entangle." In the mid-18th century, English speakers embraced the Italian noun imbroglio as well. Synonyms altercation argle-bargle [chiefly British] argument argy-bargy [chiefly British] battle royal bicker brawl contretemps controversy cross fire disagreement dispute donnybrook falling-out fight hassle kickup misunderstanding quarrel rhubarb row scrap set-to spat squabble tiff wrangle See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences a celebrated imbroglio involving some big names in the New York literary scene Recent Examples on the Web Disney has declined to comment on its Florida imbroglio in recent days. Alex Leary, WSJ, 29 Apr. 2022 But my assessment is that Beijing will be very careful not to be dragged into the Russian imbroglio and and be very careful to avoid U.S. and European sanctions. CBS News, 29 June 2022 The imbroglio kicked off a week ago with the publication of Lorenz’s article on the Internet content creators who thrived from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial. Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 10 June 2022 The imbroglio over the bananas was becoming increasingly desperate for One Banana. John Francis Peters, ProPublica, 16 June 2022 Despite that ongoing legal imbroglio, GTA has flourished in Everett over the past four years, collecting nearly $8 million on city contracts for paving, landscaping, and more water main replacements. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2022 Social media picked up the imbroglio, and the bar’s reputation plummeted. Mary Colurso \| Mcolurso@al.com, al, 31 Mar. 2022 The conflict may have involved a mundane debate over carpet versus tile, but in statistical terms was more likely to result in an imbroglio with home contractors or builders. Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 13 Apr. 2022 For Zubrin, the entire Ukraine imbroglio is a black-and-white phenomenon: Either Ukraine emerges victorious, or the U.S. watches as a Chinese surrogate, otherwise known as Putin’s Russia, dominates the Eurasian continent. Daniel Depetris, National Review, 23 Mar. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Italian, from imbrogliare to entangle, from Middle French embrouiller — more at embroil First Known Use 1750, in the meaning defined at sense 2 imbroglio noun as in dispute an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions a celebrated imbroglio involving some big names in the New York literary scene Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance dispute controversy altercation quarrel disagreement argument contretemps fight brawl misunderstanding bicker squabble spat tiff skirmish row feud disputation debate donnybrook wrangle clash battle royal cross fire argle-bargle tussle set-to falling-out tangle rhubarb argy-bargy difference scrap hassle protest logomachy kickup vendetta contention fracas attack objection protestation dissension run-in fisticuffs catfight dissention melee mêlée fray fuss affray free-for-all
随便看	sensating sensation sensation level sensation-monger sensational sensationalise sensationalised sensationalises sensationalising sensationalism sensationalisms sensationalist sensationalistic sensationalists sensationalizations sensationalize sensationalized sensationalizes sensationalizing sensationally sensationism sensationist sensationistic sensationists sensationless

imbroglio

noun

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Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun