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
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
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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With storms closing in, dwindling fuel, and a panicked, pregnant passenger at the controls, Braden must talk her through an impossible landing while fighting his own exhaustion, guilt, and unraveling personal life.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
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Abandoned Mansion smells like history and curiosity intertwined, the scent of someone worth unraveling.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Sketches such as last night’s Oval Office monologue compact the coal of the administration’s info dumps into little diamonds of comedy, freeing the writers and cast to pursue more escapist fare.—
Erik Adams,
The Atlantic,
9 Nov. 2025
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If confirmed by future research, the approach could provide a powerful new weapon to fight heart disease, the nation's leading killer, freeing people from the need to take statins and other cholesterol-lowering drugs every day.—
NPR,
NPR,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Ten-year-olds are saving their allowances for $70 moisturizers and $90 serums, mimicking influencer routines meant for adults.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
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Cincinnati fire personnel attempted life-saving measures, but Spruill was determined to have died at the scene.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The procedural stories are simple whodunnits with a New York twist—Murder on Broadway has Hizzoner untangling the on-stage shooting at the closing of a long-running musical, for example.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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Hanging ornaments with care can be one of the highlights of the holiday season, but untangling wads of string lights is far less enjoyable.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Actually, this reality can be liberating.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
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In less than a decade, Cabral united more than a million Guineans in the struggle against Portuguese colonial rule, liberating three-quarters of the countryside of Guinea-Bissau and inspiring other African nations to rebel and claim their independence.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Netflix sci-fi show will be releasing the final season in three parts.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Roosevelt did this by releasing a controversial message to Congress, mainly about trusts and corporate corruption, around the same time that Hughes gave a speech about his own political future.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Rescue operations continue During the weekend, Cuban authorities continued rescuing people who were trapped by the flooding.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
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Meanwhile, those on the front lines of rescuing and rehabilitating animals at care centers are concerned that the current furloughs and the possibility of job cuts could result in less support for struggling ocean creatures.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Here's what to know about redeeming the credit.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
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Although chocolate can sometimes be associated with unhealthy habits, like eating too much sugar, dark chocolate has many redeeming qualities.—
Christina Manian,
Health,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disentangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangling. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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