1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

unclenching

verb

present participle of unclench
as in unbuttoning

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unclenching
  1. unfurling
  2. unfolding
  3. unfastening
  4. unlocking
Verb
  • The Hartford dates mark the opening two nights of Rodrigo’s new tour—expect moments of major fashion history, imbued with Rodrigo’s own personal storytelling, to continue unfurling.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Or maybe the stars of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, held every October with its red carpet unfurling outside the nearby Trustees Theater.
    — Colleen McNally Arnett, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfurling
Verb
  • The merger debate is unfolding as CSX is cutting roughly 1,100 maintenance-of-way jobs, according to a labor group.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The beauty of the landscape will sit alongside the cruelty unfolding among the characters.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfolding
Verb
  • Transforming the cabin from sitting to sleeping is a group effort that includes unpacking the ladder (usually stowed beneath the seats with the luggage), unfastening the upper bunks, and making the beds.
    — Emily Manthei, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2026
Definition of unfastening
Verb
  • Maggie’s actually the one who was the instigator, unlocking Lizzie’s birdcage.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Zipline will cover its infrastructure costs in Côte d’Ivoire by unlocking money from a $150 million grant that the US government approved for the company last year.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of unlocking
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

unclenches
unclenching
unclichéd
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unclenching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unclenching. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All