1
as in unraveling
to separate the various strands of
it took forever to disentangle the knot
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freeing
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disentangling
The fundamental goal of the 1787 Constitution was to establish a republican form of government — and that meant disentangling the traditional powers of the monarch and placing them in different branches of government.
—
David French, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Embedded in a patriarchal family within an oppressive society, Mrie faces the challenge of disentangling herself from both.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Our narrator, a gay, happily married father of two disentangling himself from a poly love affair, is—depending on the light—brilliant, self-mythologizing, abject, hopeful, and vulnerable.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Brittany Luse is joined by writer and journalist Ana Marie Cox to get into how people are disentangling alcohol from their lives, and the lessons she's learned as a recovering alcoholic.
—Veralyn Williams, NPR, 6 Jan. 2025
Patel has talked about disentangling the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations — now a core function of the bureau’s mandate — from the rest of its operations.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2024
For conditions like obesity, neurodegenerative disease (like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases), and some psychiatric diseases (like depression), disentangling cause from effect is more challenging.
—Keren Landman, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
David French, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Embedded in a patriarchal family within an oppressive society, Mrie faces the challenge of disentangling herself from both.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Our narrator, a gay, happily married father of two disentangling himself from a poly love affair, is—depending on the light—brilliant, self-mythologizing, abject, hopeful, and vulnerable.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Brittany Luse is joined by writer and journalist Ana Marie Cox to get into how people are disentangling alcohol from their lives, and the lessons she's learned as a recovering alcoholic.
—Veralyn Williams, NPR, 6 Jan. 2025
Patel has talked about disentangling the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations — now a core function of the bureau’s mandate — from the rest of its operations.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2024
For conditions like obesity, neurodegenerative disease (like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases), and some psychiatric diseases (like depression), disentangling cause from effect is more challenging.
—Keren Landman, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disentangling
Verb
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Last week, the South Carolina Supreme Court delivered an account of how Hill’s conduct during the 2023 double-murder trial crossed ethical and constitutional lines, ultimately unraveling the state’s conviction of Murdaugh.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
17 May 2026
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But increasingly devastating wildfires are unraveling one of the last bargains Californians have enjoyed.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
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That meant that Baker & Taylor took on some of these tasks, helping to speed up the process and freeing staff members to do other work.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
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But that moment in the sun came crashing down when the Russian tanks rolled into Prague in 1968, and while Karlovy Vary endured, its return to splendor was delayed until 1989, when the Iron Curtain fell, freeing the region from Moscow rules.—
Steven Gaydos,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
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But state lawmakers can finally pass this legislation, and start saving families tax dollars while protecting our health and our environment.—
Justin Sanchez,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
The actually unspeakable bit is whether women’s access to education and the job market should be restricted, in the name of producing more babies and saving civilization.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Make untangling tomato stems from their cage at the end of the growing season by allowing the plant to die and dry in place.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 May 2026
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Mosquitoes really do play favorites — and the reasons reveal a fascinating tangle of genetics, body chemistry and evolutionary tracking that scientists are still untangling.—
Ryan Brennan
May 1,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Georgacopoulos has made a career out of liberating pearls from their classical, somewhat staid image.—
Kate Matthams,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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The conflict looms large over the film’s Kosovar Albanian teens — as does institutionalized discrimination against them — but Basholli’s intentionally blinkered focus, through the eyes of her 13-year-old protagonist, proves constraining and liberating all at once.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The Fort Worth Fire Department was called to the scene to help with extricating four people from the vehicle, according to the statement.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
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The alternating timelines force the writers to do a lot of strained connection-building that, around midseason, ceases to be effective; the makers of Scarpetta were very smart about joining the murders narratively, but much less smart about extricating themselves creatively.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gary Stern, who served as general counsel of the National Archives for twenty-six years, collaborated with five Administrations—from Bill Clinton’s to Joe Biden’s—on preserving and releasing Presidential records.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
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For the record, Achane probably can’t sign a contract extension until June 2, at the earliest, when the Dolphins get money freed up from releasing edge rusher Bradley Chubb, who was designated as a June 1 cut.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Over 25 Miami-Dade fire crews aided in rescuing the injured, finding some of the 11 in the water.—
Miami Herald,
Sun Sentinel,
10 May 2026
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Unlike a pig sanctuary or farm where abandoned or abused pigs live out their last days, the group is focused on rescuing, fostering and finding permanent families for pigs.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disentangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangling. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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