untangle

verb

un·​tan·​gle ˌən-ˈtaŋ-gəl 

untangled; untangling; untangles

transitive verb

: to loose from tangles or entanglement : straighten out

untangle a knot

untangle a mystery

Synonyms of untangle

• unravel

Choose the Right Synonym for untangle

extricate, disentangle, untangle, disencumber, disembarrass mean to free from what binds or holds back.

extricate implies the use of care or ingenuity in freeing from a difficult position or situation.

extricated himself from financial difficulties

disentangle and untangle suggest painstaking separation of a thing from other things.

disentangling fact from fiction

untangle a web of deceit

disencumber implies a release from something that clogs or weighs down.

an article disencumbered of jargon

disembarrass suggests a release from something that impedes or hinders.

disembarrassed herself of her advisers

Examples of untangle in a Sentence

She carefully untangled the child's hair.

He untangled the garden hose.

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers at the Whitehead Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, developed an AI model to predict a protein’s destination within human cells based on its amino acid sequence, a finding that could help untangle the role of mis-localization in disease. —Amanda Erickson, STAT, 27 Feb. 2026

They eventually were untangled, and the referees were convening at center ice when Tkachuk skated off the bench and toward the Red Wings penalty box to talk to Edvinsson. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 27 Feb. 2026

His ability to untangle the rights for content, allowing it to be made, became a valuable currency. —Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026

The layers of deception and betrayal will feel deeply familiar to anyone who spent three seasons untangling Stephen’s lies. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for untangle

• angle
• bangle
• dangle
• jangle
• mangle
• strangle
• tangle
• wrangle
• disentangle
• entangle
• quadrangle
• triangle

Kids Definition

untangle

verb

un·​tan·​gle ˌən-ˈtaŋ-gəl 

ˈən-

1

: to remove a tangle from : disentangle

untangle a knot

2

: to straighten out : resolve

untangle a mystery