embroiled

Meaning

1. 1adjectiveafter a verb

   Caught up in a quarrel, scandal or other tricky situation that is hard to escape from, often without having chosen it.

   Grammar: Comes after 'be', 'become' or 'get' and is followed by 'in': she became embroiled in the dispute.

   Patterns

   • be embroiled in something
   • become embroiled in something
   • get embroiled in something

   The mayor became embroiled in a funding scandal that dragged on for months.

   I don't want to get embroiled in another family argument over the holidays.

   The two companies were embroiled in a legal battle over a patent.

Common combinations

embroiled in controversy

The coach has been embroiled in controversy since the match.

embroiled in a dispute

The neighbors are embroiled in a dispute over the fence.

embroiled in a scandal

The charity was embroiled in a scandal over missing donations.

become embroiled

He became embroiled when he tried to settle their argument.

embroiled in a lawsuit

The builder is embroiled in a lawsuit with three clients.

Synonyms and how they differ

entangled

'Entangled' pictures being caught up in something complicated, like a net, and fits relationships and problems as well as disputes.

involved

'Involved' is neutral and can be positive, while 'embroiled' always suggests trouble or conflict.

mired

'Mired' stresses being stuck deep and unable to move on, like in mud.

implicated

'Implicated' suggests being shown to have a share of blame, which 'embroiled' does not require.

Opposites

Word family

embroil verb

to draw someone into a conflict or difficulty

embroilment noun

a state of being caught up in a conflict

embroils verb

third person singular of embroil

broil noun

an old word for a noisy quarrel, the root of embroil

Commonly confused: embroiled or embroidered?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “embroiled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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