imbroglio

/ɪmˈbɹəʊljəʊ/

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian imbroglio (“tangle, entanglement, muddle”) (im-, alternative form of in- (prefix forming verbs denoting derivation) + broglio (“confusion; intrigue, fraud, rigging, stuffing”); see also imbrogliare (“to tangle”)), cognate with and probably from an earlier form of French embrouiller (“to embroil, muddle”) (em- (“em-”), a form of en- (“en-”, prefix meaning ‘caused’) + brouiller (“to confuse, mix up”)).

imbroglio means A complicated situation; an entanglement. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 83 out of 100.

Why this word is great

IMBROGLIO — [Noun] A complicated, confused, and often embarrassing state of affairs or disagreement. Borrowed from Italian imbroglio ("tangle, muddle"), from im- (a form of in-, a prefix forming verbs) + broglio ("confusion, intrigue"), itself likely from or cognate with French embrouiller ("to embroil, muddle"). Unlike a "quandary," a state of private, often paralyzing perplexity, or a "misunderstanding," a simpler failure to grasp, an imbroglio is a public, snarled knot where motives, pride, and blunders are hopelessly intertwined. It is the hissed argument at a diplomatic reception, the labyrinth of half-truths in a probate court, and the byzantine plot of a political scandal—a testament to the human genius for weaving simple discord into ornate, inescapable folly.

noun

A complicated situation; an entanglement.“Into the drawers and china pry, / Papers and books, a huge imbroglio! / Under a tea-cup he might lie, / Or creased, like dogs-ears, in a folio.”