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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unravel
Early in his career, Valdez was more or less defined by his tendency to unravel in tough game situations.
—
Levi Weaver, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Meta is firing back at a January lawsuit that alleged WhatsApp never supported end-to-end encryption, arguing the plaintiff’s claims are unraveling.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 May 2026
In a powerful and disquieting GQ profile, the band and some immediate friends and family unraveled the struggles that have plagued their lucrative but life-altering reunion, a kind of cautionary tale for leveling up after settling down.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
But after a biopsy, that reassurance quickly unraveled.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Levi Weaver, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Meta is firing back at a January lawsuit that alleged WhatsApp never supported end-to-end encryption, arguing the plaintiff’s claims are unraveling.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 May 2026
In a powerful and disquieting GQ profile, the band and some immediate friends and family unraveled the struggles that have plagued their lucrative but life-altering reunion, a kind of cautionary tale for leveling up after settling down.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
But after a biopsy, that reassurance quickly unraveled.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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Bessent's visit comes at a time when relations between Beijing and Tokyo have frayed, following Takaichi's comments in November that indicated Tokyo would support Taiwan if threatened by Beijing's military, drawing a sharp response from Beijing.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
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The dobby border reinforces vulnerable areas, helping prevent fraying and stretching over time.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
Verb
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November 22 – December 21 A small system could suddenly solve more than expected today.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
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Fifty-one years later, Three Days of the Condor offers business leaders lessons in individual resilience, creative problem solving in chaos and the value of transparency under pressure.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
Verb
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When once Valdez would untangle, now there appeared to be some questionable decision-making once frustration mounted.—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
Mosquitoes really do play favorites — and the reasons reveal a fascinating tangle of genetics, body chemistry and evolutionary tracking that scientists are still untangling.—
Ryan Brennan
May 1,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The racial and gender discrimination claims were dismissed, but Rogers and TCC were ordered to go through mediation to resolve the religious discrimination claim.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
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Episode 2 of the first series sees a huge misunderstanding on the phone cause Gavin to have to drive to Wales to resolve his relationship.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Verb
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This is practically impossible for something with an enormous mass like a planet or star, as there’s no known way to disentangle the gravitational constant (G) from a mass (M) from orbital mechanics alone.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 May 2026
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The single-system design would be costly to disentangle — if possible at all.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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McGlynn had a shot from nearly the same spot hit the far post, also in the 42nd, and Nathan Ordaz answered for LAFC three minutes later to cut it to 2-1 at halftime.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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Royal faced set point three times but answered the call each time before a Village Christian hitting error gave Royal the set.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
10 May 2026
Verb
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In a feat of precision physics, researchers from Cornell and Stanford Universities have filmed atoms twisting and untwisting in perfect sync, a choreography that unfolds in just a trillionth of a second.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Nov. 2025
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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
Verb
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How to unsnarl the emotions that play tug-of-war with our souls?—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
15 Dec. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Unravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unravel. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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