entanglement

C1 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ɪnˈtæŋɡəlmənt/ UK /ɪnˈtæŋɡəlmənt/ See IPA manual

Freq #38130

Meanings

1

noun
the state or process of becoming twisted together, trapped, or caught

The turtle was injured by entanglement in a discarded fishing net.
2

noun
a complicated involvement, relationship, or set of circumstances that is difficult to escape

She wanted to avoid any further entanglement in the dispute.
3

noun
in quantum physics, a connection in which particles share a state so that their measured properties remain correlated

The experiment preserved quantum entanglement between the two photons.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state or process of... snare tangleenmeshment

2 noun · a complicated involvement,... involvement complicationembroilment

3 noun · in quantum physics, a... quantum correlation

Opposites

disentanglementfreedom simplicity

Word family

Derived forms disentanglementnonentanglement

Related forms entangle tangleentangler

Etymology

From entangle + -ment. The physical sense of threads or objects caught together produced the figurative sense of a difficult involvement. Quantum physics adopted the term for correlated systems whose states cannot be described independently.

Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# entanglement

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪnˈtæŋɡəlmənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈtæŋɡəlmənt/
**Frequency rank:** 38130

## Meanings
1. the state or process of becoming twisted together, trapped, or caught
2. a complicated involvement, relationship, or set of circumstances that is difficult to escape
3. in quantum physics, a connection in which particles share a state so that their measured properties remain correlated

## Examples
- The turtle was injured by entanglement in a discarded fishing net.
- She wanted to avoid any further entanglement in the dispute.
- The experiment preserved quantum entanglement between the two photons.

## Synonyms
- tangle
- involvement
- complication
- enmeshment

## Antonyms
- disentanglement
- freedom
- simplicity

## Derived Forms
- disentanglement
- nonentanglement

## Related Forms
- entangle
- tangle
- entangler

## Etymology
From entangle + -ment. The physical sense of threads or objects caught together produced the figurative sense of a difficult involvement. Quantum physics adopted the term for correlated systems whose states cannot be described independently.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

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