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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Not as a gimmick, but to automate reporting, clean messy data, and flag compliance risks, freeing up humans for strategy, supplier engagement, and culture change.—
Gus Bartholomew,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Nov. 2025
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Video shows the deputy firing a single shot to the head, killing the suspect and instantly freeing the crying boy.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Officers performed life-saving measures on Green before he was pronounced dead on location, Hoskin said.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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Tyrod Taylor’s not saving the season anymore than Quinn Ewers is saving the show in Miami.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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The album was heralded as Lorde’s most personal project to date, with the singer examining and untangling gender roles, body image issues and her sexuality.—
Lyndsey Havens,
Billboard,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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Detouring into satire would give that notion some pause and would give my writing some wings, liberating me from self-consciousness and untethering me from reality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 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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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
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Certain redemptions are only worth less than one cent per point, which means the best value is redeeming for travel.—
Evan Zimmer,
CNBC,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disentangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangling. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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