1
as in to fray
to separate the various strands of
it took us forever to unravel the jumbled mass of Christmas tree lights
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
unraveled the mystery
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unravel
And for those who think that some threads from the first two seasons have been tied up early in season three, Cahn teases that those ties may unravel yet again.
—
Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2025
Based on reporting by Mandy Matney, the series unravels the painful and avoidable events that led Alex to murder his wife, Maggie (Patricia Arquette), and youngest son, Paul (Johnny Berchtold, in a heart-wrenching turn).
—Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
But on Thursday, their whole game unraveled, and the Avs dictated play until well into the third period, when the game was no longer in doubt.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The two have a tense, uneasy conversation, and Hank has completely unraveled, shouting to Alma about how his life has been destroyed by Maggie.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2025
Based on reporting by Mandy Matney, the series unravels the painful and avoidable events that led Alex to murder his wife, Maggie (Patricia Arquette), and youngest son, Paul (Johnny Berchtold, in a heart-wrenching turn).
—Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
But on Thursday, their whole game unraveled, and the Avs dictated play until well into the third period, when the game was no longer in doubt.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
The two have a tense, uneasy conversation, and Hank has completely unraveled, shouting to Alma about how his life has been destroyed by Maggie.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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But that was two decades ago, and the threads that tied me to France had begun to fray.—
Aislyn Greene,
AFAR Media,
15 Oct. 2025
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Al-Omari is uneasy about signs that Arab unity on disarmament is already fraying.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, in dress form, this problem is solved!—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
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Fields will now have to solve his problems without his favorite receiver.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ask anyone trying to untangle Evergrande’s balance sheet.—
Richard Torrenzano,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
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But swapping fat for sugar and empty carbs is also problematic, and it has been complicated to untangle the effects of ever-changing dietary patterns.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The protest also happened on day 18 of the government shutdown, after Republicans and Democrats failed to resolve a budget dispute for the 2026 fiscal year.—
Carolyn Burt,
Oc Register,
19 Oct. 2025
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This doesn’t resolve that Georgia is better off with Stockton than the alternatives.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To fully disentangle them would set both sides — and the whole world — back decades.—
Peter Leyden,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
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Claude can’t disentangle her years-ago affair with Mathias from feelings of self-recrimination and guilt, and seesaws between anger and seduction.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After losing two straight games, there are a lot of questions that the team needs to answer.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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How Notre Dame answers it — plus the three other questions below — will go a long way toward setting the course for the rest of this season.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In rare cases, a volvulus can partially resolve on its own if the twist or obstruction is not severe and the intestine untwists spontaneously.—
Sarah Jividen,
Health,
22 Sep. 2024
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It’s got a rubber bumper around the upper rim that makes the lid a breeze to untwist and a protective bumper at the base that keeps it from easily toppling over.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appétit,
6 Aug. 2024
Verb
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During the recent supply-chain crisis, XPO helped unsnarl bottlenecks for customers in several industries.—
Joann S. Lublin,
Time,
27 Nov. 2022
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Construction is beginning on a major railroad project on Chicago’s South Side that officials hope will unsnarl a key freight rail choke point, boost Metra service and improve conditions for drivers, pedestrians and residents in the area.—
Sarah Freishtat,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Unravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unravel. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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