Synonyms of unfolding

unfolding

verb

present participle of unfold

1

as in expanding

to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area

carefully unfold that antique map so that it doesn't tear

Synonyms & Similar Words

• expanding
• opening
• extending
• unfurling
• spreading (out)
• stretching (out)
• flaring (out)
• fanning (out)
• outspreading
• outstretching
• overspreading

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• closing
• folding
• contracting
• reducing
• condensing
• compressing
• compacting

2

as in evolving

to gradually become clearer or more detailed

as the situation unfolded, it became clear that more help would be needed

the movie became more interesting once the mystery began to unfold

Synonyms & Similar Words

• evolving
• progressing
• growing
• developing
• proceeding
• elaborating
• emerging
• blossoming
• maturing
• ripening
• marching
• forging
• getting along
• advancing
• getting on
• faring
• playing out
• materializing

3

as in blooming

to produce flowers

the rosebud unfolded literally overnight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• blooming
• flowering
• blossoming
• burgeoning
• blowing
• leaving
• efflorescing
• leafing
• budding
• opening

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fading
• dying
• withering
• drying up
• dropping
• expiring
• wilting
• shriveling
• perishing

4

as in appearing

to come into view

the majestic landscape unfolded before us

Synonyms & Similar Words

• appearing
• showing
• coming
• looming
• arriving
• rising
• happening
• materializing
• coming out
• emerging
• reappearing
• turning up
• showing up
• occurring
• erupting
• surfacing
• arising
• blossoming
• dawning
• resurfacing
• issuing
• bulking
• shooting (up)
• breaking out
• outcropping
• springing (up)
• breaking
• cropping (up)
• bobbing (up)
• debuting
• rematerializing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• going (away)
• vanishing
• disappearing
• dissolving
• evaporating
• fading
• melting (away)
• clearing
• leaving
• evanescing
• withdrawing
• departing
• retiring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of unfolding

Trump weighed in as the unrest intensified, arguing that what was unfolding went beyond the students’ complaints about France’s education system. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

The White House move is unfolding against a far darker debate over where the technology is headed. — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026

Baylor then exposed the Sun Devils, producing an image this program hasn’t seen much recently — a fourth quarter unfolding in front of a mostly empty stadium. — Doug Haller, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

The two men responded after screaming passengers discovered what was unfolding in the cockpit. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

The play is a gently unfolding, calmly delivered tale of the decades of horrors endured by a real-life person named Eddie Jaku. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

Then there’s Cruise’s nearly unrecognizable performance as Digger Rockwell, an eccentric oil tycoon whose drilling operations have led to the unfolding climate disaster. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

The origination of the artwork soon belongs to history, but history is ongoing—an unfolding future. — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Rather than scripting the final act of a Shakespearean tragedy that exists only in their imagination, skeptics might try covering the story unfolding in front of them – one of the most successful transformations on Wall Street playing out today. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026