unraveling

verb

present participle of unravel
1
as in fraying
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 solving
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 unraveling Washington and Tokyo’s unprecedented step to bolster the yen already appears to be unraveling. — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026 Kim has not yet entered a plea but is scheduled to appear in court next month in San Jose, the next step in unraveling what led to the death of a young man police say was the victim of a botched murder-for-hire plot. — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 The story begins after her death, with Faye waking in the Everywhen to find her protective plans for Kratos and Atreus unraveling, facing antagonists like Sekhmet. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 Irsay-Gordon, however, likened the Colts’ unraveling to pressing pause on a movie. — James Boyd, New York Times, 23 July 2026 Think of Jackie Cogan rejecting American exceptionalism in Killing Them Softly, Patrick Bateman’s unraveling mind in American Psycho, or Justine readily accepting the end of the world in Melancholia. — The Editors, Vulture, 17 July 2026 This ambiguity doesn’t feel entirely intentional, but at least Paksoy’s performance makes her character’s unraveling feel nervy and thrillingly palpable. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 11 July 2026 The center was designed as a hub for change, but as that change is debated and celebrated, the retail fabric that longtime residents have relied on is quietly unraveling. — Yunus Emre Tozal, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 To most onlookers, the contradictions may seem like confusion, bad faith or evidence that the agreement is already unraveling. — Monica Duffy Toft, The Conversation, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveling
  1. fraying
  2. solving
  3. disentangling
  4. answering
  5. untwisting
  6. resolving
  7. undoing
  8. untangling
Verb
  • The accusations only make Winifred, who has secretly been dealing with a rapidly fraying psyche, more paranoid, leading to bloody and dangerous consequences.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
  • Nanfelt said some have misread any concern of unexpected decisions this year as pointing to a fraying relationship between city leadership and the business community.
    — DJ Simmons July 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 July 2026
Definition of fraying
Verb
  • But the bigger question, Tamfuh said, is whether the government is solving the country’s longstanding problems.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Defensiveness extends conversations, weakens credibility and drains emotional energy that could have been directed toward solving problems.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of solving
Verb
  • The fundamental goal of the 1787 Constitution was to establish a republican form of government — and that meant disentangling the traditional powers of the monarch and placing them in different branches of government.
    — David French, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Embedded in a patriarchal family within an oppressive society, Mrie faces the challenge of disentangling herself from both.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Definition of disentangling
Verb
  • John has been working his whole life to be deemed a worthy member of the Green Lantern corps, and Hal was literally handed the ring after answering a single yes-or-no question correctly.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Zuckerberg, Amodei and the rest are writing to each other—a closed loop of founders, investors and the reporters who cover them, each essay answering the last.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of answering
Verb
  • 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
Definition of untwisting
Verb
  • But in the spring, the board quietly suspended the search for Johnson-Trammell’s replacement, choosing to first focus on resolving the district’s financial crisis.
    — Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • This means the lender expects to approve your loan after resolving a few outstanding items before closing.
    — Sharon Wu, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of resolving
Verb
  • For all its characteristic restraint and formal diligence, Killing Spree is a book that wants to make noise, to cut through the dead air with cries of grief and rage, undoing our own savage torpor.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Bluntly, undoing two citywide votes on this basis is a democratic legitimacy problem.
    — Zack Defazio Farrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2026
Definition of undoing
Verb
  • Researchers will spend years untangling the two, and policymakers will be reading corridor numbers that mean less every quarter.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Mike walked up and down the boat, untangling lines, re-tying lures, and helping anyone who needed it.
    — Matthew Every, Outdoor Life, 8 July 2026
Definition of untangling

Browse Nearby Words

unraveled
unraveling
unravels
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Cite this Entry

“Unraveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unraveling. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on unraveling

Nglish: Translation of unraveling for Spanish Speakers

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