imbroglio

noun

im·bro·glio im-ˈbrōl-(ˌ)yō

plural imbroglios

Synonyms of imbroglio next

: 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.

Examples of imbroglio in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web The imbroglio, which necessitated reshooting the film, ballooned the budget, with more woe coming when the movie crash landed at the box office. —

Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 June 2024 Legislative action Finally, this entire imbroglio may soon be resolved by the General Assembly. —

Tom Condon, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2024 Consider the imbroglio over the nuclear posture review, which saw the official tasked with carrying it out, Leonor Tomero, leave her post under pressure from Republicans on Capitol Hill. —

Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2022 Perhaps the most prominent case of strategic corruption in recent years is the Ukraine imbroglio that led to the impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019. —

Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020 See all Example Sentences for imbroglio

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imbroglio.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.