What's the difference between embroil and muddled?

Embroil


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To throw into confusion or commotion by contention or discord; to entangle in a broil or quarrel; to make confused; to distract; to involve in difficulties by dissension or strife.
  • (v. t.) To implicate in confusion; to complicate; to jumble.
  • (n.) See Embroilment.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) After five days watching birds illegally shot down and becoming embroiled in tense stand-offs with the police and hunters, Packham was summoned to a police station and interviewed for five hours.
  • (2) Japan is already embroiled in a long-running row with China over ownership of the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, and has backed the Philippines and other South East Asian nations alarmed by the Chinese military build-up near disputed territory in the South China Sea.
  • (3) They all abstain from social media for fear of getting embroiled in some brouhaha.
  • (4) For us it is about safeguarding the interests of children who, unlike in criminal proceedings, invariably become embroiled in family proceedings through no fault of their own.
  • (5) At the time Cardiff were a point clear of the drop zone, although the owner and manager had been embroiled in a public row during the weeks which preceded Mackay's exit.
  • (6) Among the finance directors on it were: Ken Hanna of Cadbury Schweppes, which was locked in a battle at the European court over its use of a Dublin subsidiary; Richard Lapthorne of Cable & Wireless; and AstraZeneca's Jon Symonds, embroiled in a multibillion pound "transfer pricing" dispute.
  • (7) News UK’s decision saves the taxpayer millions of pounds and was made because the company did not wish to become embroiled in a protracted argument about its case.
  • (8) The BBC has become embroiled in a row with one of its longest-serving radio presenters on the day in which the broadcaster was heavily criticised by an independent inquiry for the way it had allowed stars like Jimmy Savile to abuse women and children for nearly 50 years.
  • (9) A UN panel that on Tuesday ruled that glyphosate was probably not carcinogenic to humans has now become embroiled in a bitter row about potential conflicts of interests.
  • (10) At that point, because she wasn’t taking my calls, I had no idea where Charlie was.” Johnson is still embroiled in proceedings months later, when I go to meet him at home with his wife, Sara.
  • (11) Jack Wilshere has sought to highlight his professionalism by posting a video of himself working hard in training, after becoming embroiled in his latest smoking controversy – an indiscretion that has infuriated the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger .
  • (12) GSK is also embroiled in a similar scandal in Poland after a whistleblower, Jarek Wisniewiski, told the BBC's Panorama programme that company representatives paid doctors to boost prescriptions.
  • (13) The country’s biggest oil companies – Sinopec, PetroChina and the China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) – are among the world’s largest businesses, but executives in the industry are embroiled in multiple corruption probes, many tied to networks of shell companies around the world.
  • (14) For weeks EU governments have been embroiled in a battle over commission demands to ease Italy’s burden by creating a new quotas system sharing asylum-seekers across the union.
  • (15) Instead, he found himself embroiled in an embarrassing debacle when a fight broke out during an event with tribal elders between Naseem Sharifi, his head of protocol, and Haji Sayed Jan Khakrezwal, the respected head of the Kandahar provincial council.
  • (16) Further, it only takes a cursory look at Hizb ut-Tahrir’s website to see that they are embroiled in a bitter and ongoing feud with Isis.
  • (17) On a modest street in a rundown area, Aziz Kara, a 64-year-old Turk, became embroiled in a ferocious argument with his neighbours.
  • (18) Ruling parties, political elites and former ministers in a string of EU countries are embroiled in cash-for-influence scandals that are exposing widespread allegations of corruption, triggering public revulsion and a voters' backlash.
  • (19) With increasing numbers leaving the land to look for work in the towns, many young people belong to families embroiled in feuds.
  • (20) The FBU has been embroiled in a long-running row with the government over controversial plans to change pensions and the retirement age of firefighters.

Muddled


Definition:

  • (imp. & p. p.) of Muddle

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Of course, every divorce is costly; but muddling through would be even more costly.
  • (2) The failure to make the single currency work with a wider group of countries means that the attempt to muddle through has reached the end of its natural life.
  • (3) Instead, we're likely to be stuck with more muddling-through.
  • (4) "In this era where we see growing open-mindedness, his actions are muddle-headed and careless," said the letter, which was briefly posted to the internet before it was taken down by censors .
  • (5) Although it remains unclear why he chose to place the muddled woman in a kitchen – clinging to her mug and surrounded by children's toys – as opposed to say, in a laboratory or a truck, he claims all the words were authentically spoken by "women in dozens of focus groups around the country", prior to being stitched together in this latest triumph for the fashionable, verbatim school of drama.
  • (6) McCluskey, with Unite probably Labour’s single largest donor, has claimed Labour lost the election not because it was too leftwing but largely because it had a muddled message on austerity and lacked a coherent narrative linking together individually popular policies.
  • (7) A toxic mix of cuts and muddled thinking about personalisation has led some to suggest that social work is an optional extra in adult social care.
  • (8) Hungry delphiniums, water-loving astilbe and drought-tolerant lupins would all be muddled together, with the thirstiest plants dictating the watering regime.
  • (9) United were sterile in possession, the ball was given away with monotonous regularity in dangerous positions and their muddled thinking was encapsulated by the sight of Phil Jones taking a couple of corners and Neil Swarbrick, the referee, penalising Antonio Valencia for a foul throw.
  • (10) Having read her book and met her, however, I wouldn't be surprised if the debate becomes muddled with how she presents her case – because she annoyed me so much when we met, we almost ended up having a row, despite the fact that I agree with a great deal of what she says.
  • (11) Drinks at Jade Bar are in keeping with the spa setting: fruity and herbaceous “muddles” (alcoholic or not) are a speciality, and the bartenders host mixology sessions on Sundays, or by appointment.
  • (12) At the time they were stressful – battling with traffic, fights over radio stations, squabbles over who was going to sit in the front seat and listening to a muddle of languages together with drama lines and songs to be sung.
  • (13) Sara Parkin London • It is very apposite of Zoe Williams ( Opinion , 25 February) to quote Roberto Unger with regard to the supposed “unmasking” of the Green party leader as some kind of political fraud; namely, she tried to answer a question directly and got into a bit of a muddle.
  • (14) Sean Spicer muddles answer when pressed on Trump and Russia investigation Read more Page, like Trump, has challenged US policy towards Russia and called for warmer relations between the two countries.
  • (15) Like Rona Jaffe's novel of the 50s, The Best of Everything – a book that Rakoff loves and reread before she started work on My Salinger Year – it is concerned with what it feels like to move to the big city, to take on your first job, and to struggle to survive on a tiny salary when all the while your dreams are seemingly being snuffed out at every turn, and your love life is spiralling into muddle and mayhem.
  • (16) Wallace is a hopeless deadpan dropout, a loser in love and a bumbling muddle.
  • (17) This is a very badly timed speech, showing some very muddled and dangerous thinking.
  • (18) The substitutions were muddle-headed, the team too negative, he might have won the World Cup but now he had lost it.
  • (19) The reality for many disabled people is it’s a muddle and a minefield to have an easy pee.
  • (20) 'A tremendous wrench': Sir Ivan Rogers's resignation email in full Read more He wrote: “I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power.