Synonyms of disentangle

disentangle

verb

ˌdis-in-ˈtaŋ-gəl 

1

as in to unravel

to separate the various strands of

it took forever to disentangle the knot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unravel
• untangle
• unsnarl
• untwist
• unweave
• untwine
• ravel (out)
• fray
• unbraid
• undo
• unlay
• untie
• smooth
• straighten (out)
• unwind
• unroll
• uncoil
• unlace
• unknot
• fret
• unthread
• unstring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• entangle
• snarl
• tie
• knot
• tangle
• wind
• ply
• braid
• splice
• lace
• plait

2

as in to free

to set free from entanglement or difficulty

the years that it took to disentangle ourselves from our troubles after someone started using our social security numbers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• free
• liberate
• extricate
• untangle
• save
• disengage
• redeem
• rescue
• cut loose
• release
• clear
• disembarrass
• deliver
• unravel
• unburden
• untie
• disencumber
• unsnarl
• disburden
• untwine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hinder
• impede
• obstruct
• hamper
• entangle
• embroil
• block
• burden
• weigh
• load
• encumber

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb disentangle differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of disentangle are disembarrass, disencumber, extricate, and untangle. While all these words mean "to free from what binds or holds back," disentangle and untangle suggest painstaking separation of a thing from other things.

disentangling fact from fiction

untangle a web of deceit

When might disembarrass be a better fit than disentangle?

Although the words disembarrass and disentangle have much in common, disembarrass suggests a release from something that impedes or hinders.

disembarrassed herself of her advisers

When can disencumber be used instead of disentangle?

In some situations, the words disencumber and disentangle are roughly equivalent. However, disencumber implies a release from something that clogs or weighs down.

an article disencumbered of jargon

In what contexts can extricate take the place of disentangle?

The synonyms extricate and disentangle are sometimes interchangeable, but extricate implies the use of care or ingenuity in freeing from a difficult position or situation.

extricated himself from financial difficulties

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of disentangle

The filing underscores the administration’s position that immigration enforcement and foreign policy decisions cannot be disentangled from national security concerns and that all of those are solely under the federal government’s purview. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 13 Jan. 2026

The models disentangle the information related to representing a person’s identity from the information about motion so that the same motion can be mapped to different identities, or the same identity can have multiple types of motions. —Siwei Lyu, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025

For several governors — including Beshear, Whitmer, and Newsom — their political presence and what their work in 2026 will mean within the party moving forward may prove difficult to disentangle from any potential presidential ambitions. —Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

No Spotify or Netflix exists for literature, where (other than with some exceptions, such as for vinyl collectors) the medium and the message are more easily disentangled, but the codex has endured for two millennia whereas the CD and the DVD lasted barely two decades. —Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025