What does embroiling mean?
To embroil is to draw someone — or something such as a nation or organization — into a conflict, dispute, or complicated situation, typically without their consent and to their disadvantage. The present participle 'embroiling' therefore describes the act of entangling others in trouble: a scandal might end up embroiling a government, or a careless remark might leave a friend embroiled in gossip. The word is formal in register and carries a distinctly negative connotation, suggesting mess, entrapment, and unwelcome involvement; nobody is ever happily embroiled. It appears most frequently in political and journalistic prose, where writers describe leaders striving to avoid being embroiled in wars, controversies, or corruption inquiries. Grammatically, it is a transitive verb usually paired with the preposition 'in', as in 'embroiling the committee in a bitter dispute'. Derived forms include the verb 'embroil', the adjective 'embroiled', and the noun 'embroilment'. Its roots lie in early seventeenth-century French, making it a long-standing fixture of English vocabulary for describing the untangling-resistant complications of human affairs.
verb (present participle of 'embroil')To embroil someone is to involve them deeply in a conflict, dispute, or difficult situation, usually against their wishes or to their detriment.
- To involve someone deeply in a conflict, argument, or troublesome situation, especially without their consent.
"The leaked memos risked embroiling the ministry in yet another scandal."
"The ambassador tried to remain neutral, wary of embroiling his nation in a distant civil war."
"A careless tweet ended up embroiling her in a weeks-long public feud."
Though it sounds like something you'd do to a sweater, to embroil someone is to drag them into a quarrel — and the word has been causing trouble since the early 1600s.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of embroiling
'Embroil' entered English in the early seventeenth century, borrowed from French 'embrouiller', formed from the prefix 'em-' and 'brouiller', meaning 'to confuse, jumble, or mix up'. The French verb itself derives from 'brouille', denoting a muddle or quarrel. The underlying sense of mixing things together until they are hopelessly tangled explains the word's enduring metaphor: to embroil someone is to stir them into a conflict they cannot easily escape. Related French borrowings include 'broil' (a confused fight) and, more distantly in spirit, 'brouhaha', reflecting the same French fondness for words describing noisy confusion.
Related word forms
How embroiling is actually used
'Embroiling' carries a strongly negative connotation, implying that involvement in the situation is unwanted, messy, or damaging. It is relatively formal and appears most often in journalistic and political writing, typically followed by 'in'. The verb is almost always used transitively, with the person drawn into trouble as the object.
Easily confused with embroiling
'Embroidering' means decorating fabric with needlework (or figuratively, embellishing a story), while 'embroiling' means dragging someone into a conflict or difficulty.