embroilment

8.9

A difficult, confusing situation that involves conflict, often between people or in politics

noun
/ɪmˈbrɔɪlmənt/

Formal

: enredo

The political embroilment over the proposed law created tension between the parties involved.

Examples

Her embroilment in the family feud made it difficult for her to remain neutral during the discussions.
The company's embroilment in the scandal led to a severe backlash from the public and loss of trust.
Alison Williams and Jonathan Donaldson explore some of the 61 ongoing embroilments that involve overlapping claims to territorial waters.

Academic text (2005)

Synonyms

entanglement

vsembroilment

11 6.6

A difficult situation that traps someone, often with lies

is more about a complex confusing conflict often in social or political life

imbroglio

vsembroilment

3 9.8

A very confusing and embarrassing situation involving conflict or misunderstanding

is focused on complication and conflict rather than embarrassing confusion

enmeshment

vsembroilment

8.1

A situation where a person is involved in a difficult problem they cannot easily leave

is a complicated confusing situation often with conflict beyond personal involvement

Antonyms

resolution

199 3.7

Solving a problem or ending a disagreement

clarity

152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

How Complicated

quagmire

25 7.9

entanglement

11 6.6

embroilment

Formal

8.9

tangle

13 5.5

difficulty

651 2.4

Surface Forms

embroilment singular

embroilments plural

Morphology

embroilment = embroil (transparent) = embroil + ment

The noun is a straightforward nominalization of the verb 'embroil' with the productive suffix '-ment' indicating the state or result of being embroiled.

Etymology

Embroilment comes from old French brouiller, with the prefix em- meaning 'in', and it originally meant 'to make tangled' or 'to confuse'. So an embroilment is a messy, tangled situation that often involves conflict or people pulled into trouble.