unraveled

verb

past tense of unravel
1
as in frayed
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 solved
to find an answer for through reasoning unraveled the mystery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unraveled The full record includes real accomplishments, like restoring a depleted franchise to playoff relevance, attracting Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, adding James Harden and recovering substantial draft capital after that era unraveled. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026 Those plans unraveled after a dispute over Israel and an outside group’s campaign advertisement escalated into a public exchange of criticism between the rivals. — Joey Cappelletti, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026 The frustration at the chargers has unraveled in a city where officials were skeptical of Waymo before its launch. — Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 The deal unraveled quickly, however, as both sides renewed attacks. — Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026 Before leaving his post in February 2025, Sams saw parts of his work unraveled by the current administration. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 How Amazon’s plan unraveled In February, GW president Ellen Granberg announced the university had sold the campus, but did not initially identify the buyer or disclose the purchase price. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 More protests unraveled in Spain, Belgium and Portugal over the past few weeks, with tensions escalating since the weekend. — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 Last season, Steichen could point to Daniel Jones' season-ending Achilles tear in Week 14 last year as the Colts' season unraveled. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveled
  1. frayed
  2. solved
  3. untwisted
  4. answered
  5. disentangled
  6. resolved
  7. smoothed
Verb
  • The party was a reminder of the close cross border ties that are frayed but so far not broken by the visa crackdown.
    — Angela Kocherga, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Francisco Luna, 45, the owner of an auto repair shop, said coexistence has been frayed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of frayed
Verb
  • The crows solved the task the same way primates do, using the same mathematical logic despite having a very different brain structure.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • So there’s a huge amount of that which was solved with lots of different trickery, and then some VFX.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of solved
Verb
  • If the testicle is not untwisted within hours, it can be lost.
    — Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 25 June 2026
  • Daily untwisted the beer bottle cap, poured it into his shoe, and took a healthy swig, standing up for dramatic effect.
    — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Definition of untwisted
Verb
  • The Bears answered with another TD drive and put the game away after Darnold's interception.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Back to base camp The Knicks are 2-4, and two of their starters answered the same chemistry question on opposite sides of the spectrum.
    — Kyle Wagner, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of answered
Verb
  • The researchers discovered that the nuclear spin could be flipped even when the electron and nuclear spins were largely disentangled.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Pawlikowski’s mother and father, also named Zula and Wiktor, whose unmanageable love had kept them tangled and disentangled for decades, took their own lives in 1989, as the Cold War that had cast its chill upon their time was beginning to thaw.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of disentangled
Verb
  • Contracts are resolved using data from the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
  • That case likely won't move forward until the criminal charges are resolved.
    — Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of resolved
Verb
  • Have you ever been locked out of an account while using a VPN, or found a solution that smoothed things out?
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Facilities that once smoothed a few weeks of timing now sometimes carry a portfolio for months, occasionally across an entire fundraising cycle.
    — Peter Doyle, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of smoothed

Browse Nearby Words

unravel
unraveled
unraveling
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Cite this Entry

“Unraveled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unraveled. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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