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
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
Finn Bennett unravels Prince Aerion's unique brand of Mad Targaryen on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Directed by Spike Jonze — marking his first Super Bowl commercial in more than two decades — the ad stars actor, director and filmmaker Ben Stiller alongside multi-platinum artist Benson Boone as an retro European disco-pop duo whose partnership unravels in a mid-performance debacle.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
But things soon began to unravel.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Finn Bennett unravels Prince Aerion's unique brand of Mad Targaryen on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Directed by Spike Jonze — marking his first Super Bowl commercial in more than two decades — the ad stars actor, director and filmmaker Ben Stiller alongside multi-platinum artist Benson Boone as an retro European disco-pop duo whose partnership unravels in a mid-performance debacle.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
But things soon began to unravel.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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Right now, too many of those threads are fraying.—
Cat Ward,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The documents that Dooley was now handling were barely yellowed, their edges lightly frayed, the oak gall ink ranging from brown to black.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Start by documenting your achievements weekly—projects managed, revenue generated, processes improved, or problems solved.—
Kwame Christian Esq,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The leading lady is murdered, and Detective Frank Cioffi has to solve the mystery while her show tries to continue.—
Alyson Rodriguez,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Carefully untangle any circling roots and place them in the center of the new pot, ensuring the top of the root ball is just below the soil line.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The ruling advances Chiles toward resolving a dispute marked by errors that cost her the floor exercise bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Games.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Leaders in China hope that AI and robotics can finally resolve the flaws of a centralized planned economy.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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An industry source tells Deadline’s Rendering column that the message went out to third-party producers to disentangle any Google AI tools from their workflows.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
14 Jan. 2026
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The filing underscores the administration’s position that immigration enforcement and foreign policy decisions cannot be disentangled from national security concerns and that all of those are solely under the federal government’s purview.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Ask The Post’s journalists Our reporters and editors answer your questions.—
Karen Tumulty,
Washington Post,
15 Jan. 2026
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There was no judgment, no riddle to be answered or trial needing to be passed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 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 2 Feb. 2026.
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