eingewickelt
wrapped up
Physically covered or surrounded by something, for example in paper, fabric, or a blanket.
EXAMPLE
Das Baby schlief warm eingewickelt in seiner Decke.
The baby slept warmly wrapped up in his blanket.
eingewickelt
wrapped up
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Meanings
in etwas eingewickelt sein
wrapped up in something
To be entangled or involved in a complicated, often unpleasant matter or situation.
EXAMPLE
Er war tief in die finanziellen Probleme der Firma eingewickelt.
He was deeply wrapped up in the company's financial problems.
Usage tips
Word structure
'Eingewickelt' (wrapped up) is the past participle of the separable verb 'einwickeln' (to wrap up). The prefix 'ein-' and the verb 'wickeln' (to wrap) point to the meaning of being wrapped into something.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat das Geschenk sorgfältig in buntes Papier eingewickelt.
She carefully wrapped the gift in colorful paper.
Sentence structure with 'in'
The adjective is almost always used with the preposition 'in' and the accusative: 'in etwas eingewickelt sein' (to be wrapped up in something). This applies to both the literal and the figurative meaning.
EXAMPLE
Das Sandwich war in Folie eingewickelt.
The sandwich was wrapped in foil.
Context clue
You can tell whether the literal or figurative meaning is intended from the noun after 'in'. If it is a physical object, such as 'Decke' (blanket) or 'Papier' (paper), the meaning is literal. If it is an abstract situation, such as 'Skandal' (scandal) or 'Affäre' (affair), the meaning is figurative.
EXAMPLE
Das verletzte Tier war in ein Tuch eingewickelt.
The injured animal was wrapped in a cloth.
Typical combinations
In the figurative meaning, the word is often combined with negative situations. Typical phrases are: 'in einen Skandal eingewickelt sein' (to be wrapped up in a scandal), 'in eine Affäre eingewickelt sein' (to be wrapped up in an affair), or 'in kriminelle Geschäfte eingewickelt sein' (to be wrapped up in criminal dealings).
EXAMPLE
Die Ermittlungen zeigten, dass mehrere Manager in die Korruption eingewickelt waren.
The investigations showed that several managers were wrapped up in the corruption.
Compare with
eingewickelt vs komplex
complex
Komplex describes a matter consisting of many interconnected parts and difficult to understand. Eingewickelt, by contrast, describes a person who is involved in such a matter. An affair can therefore be complex, while someone can be wrapped up in it.
eingewickelt
Der Mitarbeiter ist in die Affäre eingewickelt und muss viele Fragen beantworten.
The employee is wrapped up in the affair and has to answer many questions.
komplex
Die Affäre ist komplex und noch nicht vollständig aufgeklärt.
The affair is complex and has not yet been fully cleared up.
In real life
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