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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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The mummy delights in slowly unraveling her new host family (this is as close as the movie gets to a big idea), but not all of us are blessed with the patience of an undying Egyptian deity.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
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When Floyd is found dead at a community pool surrounded by a poisonous cocktail and a vintage Playgirl magazine, two detectives (Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday) begin unraveling the bizarre chain of events that led to his death.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On many systems, deleting them merely removes their addresses from a registry, freeing the space to be overwritten.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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For truly tight quarters, a Murphy bed folds up against the wall when not in use, freeing the entire floor for daytime activities.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The collaboration kicks off a new Happy Meal, which includes a special box, one of 12 collectible character toys (two new characters will be rolled out every week); an activity book and a QR code that unlocks an interactive game that involves saving Hawkins from monsters.—
Erin Clements,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
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Students, staff and faculty advance sustainability, develop climate change solutions, promote conservation and biodiversity, while driving that policy at home and around the globe by educating a new generation of environmentally conscious leaders committed to saving the planet.—
Julianna Lozada,
Daily News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While staff were momentarily stunned by the sheer volume of the steal, the suspect took advantage of the distraction, untangling himself from the struggle and bolting for the exit before police could arrive.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
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As an author, Keefe has specialized in untangling shadowy networks, whether that’s the Provisional IRA or the Sackler family, whose role in the opioid crisis via their ownership of Purdue Pharma was the subject of his book Empire of Pain.—
Julian Sancton,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In December 2025, the Khartiia Corps led a counterattack in the Kupiansk direction, liberating several villages north of the city and pushing to the Oskil River.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
This election is a profound game-changer, not only for the people, but also the arts, liberating all those who were despised, sidelined or silenced by the corrupt regime.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 Apr. 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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Drake has been hinting at this new album for some time now, slowly releasing promos since last summer.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Global conservation efforts included protecting eggs, releasing hatchlings on beaches and reducing capture in fishing nets, according to the IUCN.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While firefighters were rescuing two people from the roof, crews found two more people in a second-story bathroom and brought them out through a window, according to the release.—
Kendrick Calfee
Updated April 18,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2026
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His second commissioner’s unit citation came in 2013, for rescuing several people trapped in a bus with severe roof damage, the mayor’s office said.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disentangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangling. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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