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
Families torn apart, social fabric unraveling The pipeline's impact extends beyond physical displacement, often fracturing family bonds that have held communities together for generations.
—
Willem Marx, NPR, 7 July 2025
The Musk-Trump alliance started to unravel in June over fiscal hawk Musk’s disagreement with Trump’s spending package, which the Congressional Budget Office projects will widen the national debt by $3.4 trillion.
—Derek Saul, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Each image could be unraveled, deconstructed into individual dots—the pixels of an analog age.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 3 July 2025
Described by star King Princess as one of the most toxic lesbian relationships, their romance started to unravel within the first few episodes.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Willem Marx, NPR, 7 July 2025
The Musk-Trump alliance started to unravel in June over fiscal hawk Musk’s disagreement with Trump’s spending package, which the Congressional Budget Office projects will widen the national debt by $3.4 trillion.
—Derek Saul, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Each image could be unraveled, deconstructed into individual dots—the pixels of an analog age.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 3 July 2025
Described by star King Princess as one of the most toxic lesbian relationships, their romance started to unravel within the first few episodes.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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In addition, relations with allies are frayed at worst, strained at least.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Mile after mile of the region’s precious tree canopy was badly frayed or destroyed.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
Verb
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But if Grier and McDaniel get the culture right this time that goes a long way toward solving problems of the past few years.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
19 July 2025
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Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
19 July 2025
Verb
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In the government’s rebuttal, prosecutor Comey explained the impossible task of trying to untangle love and abuse.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
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After untangling from a tumultuous relationship inside the major label system, the R&B singer couldn’t be more thrilled in her partnership with EMPIRE, as Claudio joined the indie powerhouse earlier in 2025.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Once leadership alignment is resolved, P&L performance accelerates—often within a single quarter.—
Carrie Moore,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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In cases against another person or business, people are often trying to win damages, which can get complicated as judges resolve who deserves a share of the money and how much.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Verb
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These multiband images will help disentangle features like swirling gas and magnetic fields, painting a more dynamic, multidimensional portrait of black hole environments.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
19 June 2025
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Regulation could also help disentangle nutrition research from Big Food funding, Dr. Zeide says.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
10 June 2025
Verb
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Lamine answered questions in Catalan from the Catalan press and others in Spanish, and towards the end of a press conference, he was asked about his activities away from the pitch.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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The agency failed to answer thousands of calls from flood survivors after allowing contracts for call-center workers to lapse one day after the disaster, according to The New York Times.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Twist hair onto the barrel, holding for a few seconds near the root, and then untwist.—
Claire Sullivan,
WWD,
3 Sep. 2019
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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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What’s more, giving yourself space to rest and introspect could help you unsnarl a problem that’s been weighing you down lately.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2022
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Supply chains have started to unsnarl, and commodity prices for oil and some grains have dipped after surging amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.—
Jeanna Smialek,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Unravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unravel. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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