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embattled

em·bat·tled/ɛmˈbæt(ə)ld/adjective, verb

embattled is spelled E-M-B-A-T-T-L-E-D: 9 letters and 3 syllables (em·bat·tled). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, embattled means “Armed or prepared for battle (literally or figuratively)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in embattled?

Letters9: E-M-B-A-T-T-L-E-D
Syllables3: em·bat·tled
In writingabout once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is embattled?

Embattled appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce embattled?

  • UK /ɛmˈbætl̩d/
  • UK /ɪm-/
  • US /ɛmˈbæt(ə)ld/

Embattled has 3 syllables, split em·bat·tled in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-embattled.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of embattled

  • more embattled comparative
  • most embattled superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does embattled mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Armed or prepared for battle (literally or figuratively).

  2. 2

    Of a place: occupied or surrounded by armed troops (also figuratively).

  3. 3

    Of a place: strengthened so as to withstand attacks; fortified.

  4. 4

    Subject to or troubled by attacks, controversy, or pressure.

  5. 5

    Of a fortress or other building, a wall, etc.: having battlements or crenellations; battlemented, crenellated.

  6. 6

    Having an upper edge or outline of alternating square indentations and extensions like battlements, unless the embattled item is a pale, cross or saltire, in which case it has the crenelations on all sides.

verb

  1. 1

    simple past and past participle of embattle (a form of embattle)

  2. 2

    simple past and past participle of embattle (a form of embattle)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Embattled in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frencharmé, prêt pour la bataille (armed or prepared for battle), contesté, encerclé (subject to or troubled by attacks, controversy…), crénaux d'une muraille, toujours en difficultés (of a fortress, etc.: having battlements or…)
Germanumkämpft (subject to or troubled by attacks, controversy…), Zinnenschnitt (having an edge or outline of alternating square…)
Spanishalmenado (of a fortress, etc.: having battlements or…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does embattled come from?

From embattle (“to equip as for battle”) + -ed.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after embattled