Definition of disentanglenext

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disentangle 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 People will start to disentangle that seven-stock bundle and start thinking about it given a specific situation. Hugh Leask, CNBC, 18 Nov. 2025 To fully disentangle them would set both sides — and the whole world — back decades. Peter Leyden, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025 Claude can’t disentangle her years-ago affair with Mathias from feelings of self-recrimination and guilt, and seesaws between anger and seduction. Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disentangle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disentangle
Verb
  • And Tony Day is the key to unraveling that plot and Sweetpea’s got the bit between her teeth.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 Feb. 2026
  • But Vargas said that within days of the family’s being detained and sent to the prisonlike facility in South Texas — where guards patrol the halls and the lights never turn off — her daughter began to unravel.
    Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Yet, he has been freed 15 times on parole, and so far has spent more than 400 days outside prison.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
  • His wife was held for 51 days before she was freed in November 2023 under a previous ceasefire.
    DARLENE SUPERVILLE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • This is a delicate, unexpectedly powerful slice of cinema literally unveiled, the filmmakers as liberated as the characters hope to one day be.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Feb. 2026
  • The deregulatory agenda, the most significant since President Ronald Reagan’s, has begun to liberate households and businesses from the dictates of Washington’s bureaucracy.
    Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • First responders attempted to extricate the tanker driver, but he was found dead inside the truck, according to state police.
    Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
  • The unit's soldiers train to operate in frigid conditions, like driving special cold weather vehicles and extricating themselves from icy waters.
    Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The podcast is a fascinating artifact, the tale of a woman still untangling her role as both victim and victimizer.
    Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Carefully untangle any circling roots and place them in the center of the new pot, ensuring the top of the root ball is just below the soil line.
    SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Caimor’s wealthiest citizens can transfer their Pith, or consciousness, into a chassis, or new body, modified to their every whim… or the poor but terminally ill, like nine-year-old Anabelle, can be transferred into a black-market, stock-model Edgar body in order to save her life.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
  • The same Center for Public Safety Management took less than two months to conclude Deerfield Beach would save somewhere between $250 million and $900 million over 20 years by going independent.
    Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Analysts disengage because coverage becomes inconvenient.
    Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The team was so committed to this, in fact, that one member was stranded at a western Pennsylvania rest stop while the others completed a 90-minute detour just to circle back around and pick him up without disengaging FSD.
    Byron Hurd, The Drive, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Funk said the site offers deals six to 12 times the value, compared to redeeming points for cash back.
    Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
  • This ticket must be redeemed at the Florida Lottery main office or one of the nine district offices, such as the one in Miami Lakes at 14621 Oak Ln.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Disentangle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangle. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.

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