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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unraveled
When everything unraveled Goalkeeper Meagan McClelland’s misjudgment on a high pass into the box allowed Alyssa Bourgeois to equalize in the 43rd minute.
—
Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 7 Feb. 2026
But that truce has quickly unraveled.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The situation quickly unraveled.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Facing pressure from German industry players that say the law places undue and untenable pressure on their businesses, the law’s authors drafted an amendment—read for the first time last week—that unraveled external reporting obligations.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Feb. 2026
Over a week ago, the Senators unraveled after blowing a 3-0 lead to the Nashville Predators.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
From there, things unraveled fast.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
Yet, as uproar over the shooting grew, videos of the incident spread and the administration's narrative unraveled, the White House changed course and adopted a more conciliatory approach.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 30 Jan. 2026
In fact, some of her face-framing braids were half-way unraveled, nodding to other braid trends like goddess braids and the hybrid sew-in bob.
—Essence, 26 Jan. 2026
Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 7 Feb. 2026
But that truce has quickly unraveled.
—Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The situation quickly unraveled.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Facing pressure from German industry players that say the law places undue and untenable pressure on their businesses, the law’s authors drafted an amendment—read for the first time last week—that unraveled external reporting obligations.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Feb. 2026
Over a week ago, the Senators unraveled after blowing a 3-0 lead to the Nashville Predators.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
From there, things unraveled fast.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
Yet, as uproar over the shooting grew, videos of the incident spread and the administration's narrative unraveled, the White House changed course and adopted a more conciliatory approach.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 30 Jan. 2026
In fact, some of her face-framing braids were half-way unraveled, nodding to other braid trends like goddess braids and the hybrid sew-in bob.
—Essence, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveled
Verb
-
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
-
The rapper said he is committed and dedicated to repairing relationships frayed by his alleged manic episodes.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
With every passing day, some observers feel as though the case might never be solved.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The co-production between Chile, Argentina and Italy not only solved a practical problem, but reaffirmed our belief that collaborative filmmaking is one of the most vital ways to sustain independent cinema.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
No one answered and the doors were locked.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Well, that question is yet to be answered.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
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No Spotify or Netflix exists for literature, where (other than with some exceptions, such as for vinyl collectors) the medium and the message are more easily disentangled, but the codex has endured for two millennia whereas the CD and the DVD lasted barely two decades.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Before our daughter was born, my husband and I argued, but always resolved our disagreements.—
Yael Schonbrun,
Washington Post,
15 Feb. 2026
-
At the heart of peacebuilding is the understanding that conflicts are not resolved by force but through sustained dialogue, empathy and the willingness to find common ground despite deep divisions.—
David Dumke,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In some ways, Bequia remains a secret, and as such, it hasn’t been overly developed, commercialised or smoothed into sameness.—
Rebekah Evans,
TheWeek,
5 Feb. 2026
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Parish and Glasner smoothed things over somewhat at dinner at London’s Ham Yard restaurant on January 21.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unraveled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unraveled. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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