Meaning & use
interwoven
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Passed over and under each other, as threads or strips are, so that they form one piece.
Grammar: Can follow be or come before a noun: interwoven threads, The strands are interwoven.
Patterns
- interwoven with something
The basket was made of interwoven reeds.
Gold threads are interwoven with the silk.
The branches formed an interwoven roof over the path.
adjectivecomparablefigurative
Connected so closely that the parts cannot easily be separated.
Grammar: Often followed by with: the two themes are interwoven with each other.
Patterns
- interwoven with something
Their lives were interwoven for fifty years.
History and myth are interwoven in the village's stories.
Politics and religion are deeply interwoven in the region.
Word forms
| comparative | more interwoven |
|---|---|
| superlative | most interwoven |
Common combinations
- closely interwoven
- The two stories are closely interwoven.
- interwoven with
- The legend is interwoven with real history.
- interwoven threads
- Interwoven threads give the fabric strength.
- interwoven themes
- The novel has several interwoven themes.
- inextricably interwoven
- Their fates were inextricably interwoven.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intertwined
- Intertwined suggests twisting around one another, while interwoven suggests passing over and under like threads in cloth.
- interlinked
- Interlinked means joined like chain links, which is more mechanical and less blended than interwoven.
- intermingled
- Intermingled means mixed together in a looser way, whereas interwoven suggests a pattern.
Opposites
Word family
- interweave verb
- to weave together
- interweaving noun
- the act of weaving together
- weave verb
- to form cloth by crossing threads
- woven adjective
- made by weaving
Commonly confused: interwoven or intertwined?
interwoven vs intertwined
Intertwined can mean the same in figurative use, but interwoven suits cloth-like patterns and intertwined suits twisted shapes.
Practice
The author's stories are ___ with threads of local history, so it is hard to tell them apart.
Choose one answer.
Interwoven means blended so closely that parts cannot easily be separated. Intersected would mean crossed at one point and the others do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “interwoven”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.