1
as in to fray
to separate the various strands of
it took us forever to unravel the jumbled mass of Christmas tree lights
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2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
unraveled the mystery
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Recent Examples of unravel
The four drink a little—or a lot—of psilocybin tea in a ceremony intended to unite them, but as secrets unravel, the foursome spirals, tumbling into wounds of the past until everyone is laid bare.
—
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
Francis unraveled a fair few knots following his elevation on March 13, 2013.
—Howard Chua-Eoan, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2025
In much the same way that silk cocoons unravel, silk unravels, too, when rid of its sericin and transformed into an aqueous solution of pure fibroin fiber.
—Amy Paturel, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025
Having been burned by O’Neil’s reign unravelling just months after he was handed a four-year contract in August, Wolves are not expected to rush into offering his successor a similar long-term arrangement.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
Francis unraveled a fair few knots following his elevation on March 13, 2013.
—Howard Chua-Eoan, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2025
In much the same way that silk cocoons unravel, silk unravels, too, when rid of its sericin and transformed into an aqueous solution of pure fibroin fiber.
—Amy Paturel, Discover Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025
Having been burned by O’Neil’s reign unravelling just months after he was handed a four-year contract in August, Wolves are not expected to rush into offering his successor a similar long-term arrangement.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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His shirt collar is frayed, and there’s a hole in the right elbow of his sweater.—
Domenico Starnone,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2025
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Burnout frayed Patton’s love for sourcing and selling coffee.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
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His presence is part of the peculiar riddle that Djokovic, who turns 38 on May 22, has been trying to solve for going on two years now.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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The hedge-fund collapses and Russian debt default in the 1998 financial panic and the U.S. sovereign-debt standoff in 2011 also did not feel as if they had been solved at the point the stock market started rebounding.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The auto industries of the three nations are so intertwined, with some parts crossing borders multiple times, that untangling them will take time.—
Laurent Belsie,
Christian Science Monitor,
2 Apr. 2025
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Professional legal and finance counsel can aid you in untangling complex distressed transactions and dodging surprises.—
Arman Harutyunyan,
Forbes,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The agency will be required to submit a report showing who is being held and who was arrested, along with the reasoning for both, every 60 days until the lawsuit is resolved.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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The Amber Alert system is used widely throughout the U.S., with 82 plans in place to help recover children after they have been determined missing, enabling some missing child reports to be resolved.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Though the film was completed well before the current administration took office, there’s something itchy about needing to disentangle the realities of last year’s elections from the idea of an estimable Black woman as our president.—
Beatrice Loayza,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
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That changed in 2021 under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, as part of an effort to disentangle finances between the city and the district.—
Ikram Mohamed,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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One guy the Pistons really let get loose was Karl-Anthony Towns, who answered concerns about his quiet second half of Game 2 by scoring 31 points on just 18 field goal attempts.—
Mat Issa,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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Dear Life Kit is NPR's advice column, where experts answer tricky questions about relationships, social etiquette, work culture and more.—
Malaka Gharib,
NPR,
25 Apr. 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 7 May. 2025.
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