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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As a new Fortune magazine feature reveals, the gold hoarding reflects a belief on the part of Tether’s CEO that Western economies are unraveling and that his firm can be an anchor of stability in an unstable world.—
Carlos Garcia,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
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Though obviously much of the show is staying under the dome, where the idyllic nature of its society is quickly unraveling.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The price point is also well within my budget this winter, freeing me up to snag some other pieces from my wish list.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Feb. 2026
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Combine the 100-plus union welfare funds and annuity funds, freeing massive amounts in administrative costs.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The result is a sector doing critical, often life-saving work while operating on financial quicksand.—
Cat Ward,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Millions of people donate blood each year, saving countless lives.—
Maryna Holovnova,
New Atlas,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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So that's going to be the hardest part about this game — untangling this five-dimensional web of connections that go back 20 years to Colby and Jenna and Stephenie.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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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
Verb
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Was that liberating, or more nerve-wracking?—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Jan. 2026
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Liberation is funny, poignant and, yes, liberating in its expression of the very human need for justice and freedom in an era when those words have been co-opted by forces who value only self-enrichment.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
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The company has said releasing certain information publicly would compromise its business.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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However, quickly after releasing these updates — which are intended to keep core system services functioning on devices that no longer receive major iOS releases — Apple stopped signing them.—
Kate O'Flaherty,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Firefighters raced into action late Monday night after smoke began filling apartments at a Gwinnett County complex, rescuing residents trapped on upper floors as flames spread through a lower-level unit.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
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At its busiest last year, Deming said the center was rescuing seven to nine animals a day in addition to dolphins that were stranding on beaches.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disentangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangling. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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