embroil
en
en
Change language
Translating...
/ɪmˈbrɔɪl/
Add to My Dictionary
In My Dictionary
+1
Deep involvement in conflict or difficulty, and the related act of making affairs tangled, confused, or hard to manage.
Examples
- The unclear instructions embroiled the simple task in needless complications.
- He resigned after being embroiled in allegations of fraud.
- She tried not to embroil her friends in the family feud.
- The decision embroiled the university in a debate over free speech.
- The merger was soon embroiled in accounting problems.
Similar words
entangle
drag
disrupt
ensnare
muddle
snarl
confuse
enmesh
implicateentangle
Meanings
Usage
Use embroil when the involvement is troublesome, public, or hard to escape, not for ordinary neutral participation.
Examples
- The scandal embroiled several ministers in a bitter public dispute.
- The lawsuit embroiled the company in years of costly litigation.
- She tried not to embroil her friends in the family feud.
- The leaked emails embroiled the campaign in a new controversy.
- Two contractors became embroiled in a fight over the unpaid bill.
- The decision embroiled the university in a debate over free speech.
- He resigned after being embroiled in allegations of fraud.
Common mistakes
The neutral verb involve is sometimes used where embroil would wrongly suggest trouble or conflict.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The charity embroiled local students in a reading program.
| The charity involved local students in a reading program.
|
| The scandal embroiled about several officials.
| The scandal embroiled several officials.
|
| He was embroiled to a lawsuit.
| He was embroiled in a lawsuit.
|
Similar words
involve
entangle
implicateenmesh
mire
drag
ensnare
trap
Usage
Use embroil for disorder in affairs or plans, especially when complications tangle them further.
Examples
- The sudden policy change embroiled the negotiations in confusion.
- A dispute over funding embroiled the project before work began.
- The unclear instructions embroiled the simple task in needless complications.
- Competing deadlines embroiled the team’s plans for the launch.
- The missing contract embroiled the sale in legal uncertainty.
- One careless amendment embroiled the bill in procedural delay.
- The merger was soon embroiled in accounting problems.
Common mistakes
Literal damage or physical covering is often better described with a more exact verb than embroil.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The storm embroiled the town in snow.
| The storm buried the town in snow.
|
| He embroiled the report to fix the numbers.
| He revised the report to fix the numbers.
|
| The new timetable was embroil.
| The new timetable was embroiled in confusion.
|
Similar words
complicate
confuse
entangle
muddle
disorder
snarl
disrupt
unsettle
Usage
Use embroil for conflict, scandal, legal trouble, or confused affairs where involvement becomes messy and difficult to escape.
Common mistakes
Neutral involvement is overstated by embroil, which normally implies trouble, conflict, confusion, or a messy public situation.
Etymology
Borrowed in the early 1600s from French embrouiller, meaning to entangle or confuse, from em- plus brouiller, to mix up or confuse.
FAQ
Embroil means to involve someone in conflict or difficulty, or to make affairs confused and tangled.
Is embroil a negative word?
Yes. It usually suggests trouble, conflict, scandal, or confusion rather than simple participation.
What preposition follows embroil?
Embroil is often followed by in, as in "embroiled in controversy" or "embroiled in a lawsuit."
What is the past tense of embroil?
The past tense and past participle are embroiled.
Where does embroil come from?
It comes from French embrouiller, meaning to entangle or confuse.
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
No comments yet. Be the first to add one.