snarl
/ˈsnɑː(ɹ)l/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.62 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To form raised work upon the outer surface of (thin metal ware) by the repercussion of a snarling iron upon the inner surface; to repoussé
noun
A knot or complication of hair, thread, or the like, difficult to disentangle.
noun
An intricate complication; a problematic difficulty; a knotty or tangled situation.
noun
Example Sentences
- "to snarl a skein of thread"
- "And from her backe her garments she did teare, / And from her head oft rent her snarled heare[…]"
- "November 9, 1550, Hugh Latimer, Sermon Preached at Stanford [the] question that they would have snarled him with"
- "His eye was alerted by a flutter of white seen through the snarl of branches between his stump and the Mere, and on looking more closely was surprised to see Mary sitting about a hundred yards below him on a mossy log, opposite the islet."
- "Bond grinned again as he thought of Damon's exasperation at having to dish out a lot of soft soap to Washington when he probably had plenty of other Anglo-American snarls to disentangle."
- "The biggest cities feel the most acute impact of the last mile – of the squads of trucks and vans, the parcel hubs and sorting centres, the parking snarls and the discarded boxes."
Etymology
From Middle English snarlen, frequentative of snaren (“to trap, tangle”). Equivalent to snare + -le.