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
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Recent Examples of unraveling
Last week, the South Carolina Supreme Court delivered an account of how Hill’s conduct during the 2023 double-murder trial crossed ethical and constitutional lines, ultimately unraveling the state’s conviction of Murdaugh.
—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
But increasingly devastating wildfires are unraveling one of the last bargains Californians have enjoyed.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Patience tends to be a virtue with Fukada’s cinema, and it’s certainly required upfront, as the film takes its time in unraveling key connections between characters, while the nature of certain relationships must be surmised through cues of expression and body language.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 May 2026
What begins as a skeptical pursuit of Richard’s double quickly devolves into an all-consuming obsession, unraveling Clare’s grip on reality and pulling her into a liminal nightmare where she is suspended between the living and the dead.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 May 2026
The Front Page Highlights Israel has escalated attacks on Lebanon since Thursday, further unraveling a truce in its war with Hezbollah.
—Abdi Latif Dahir Dustin Volz Arash Khamooshi Adam Sella, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Meta is firing back at a January lawsuit that alleged WhatsApp never supported end-to-end encryption, arguing the plaintiff’s claims are unraveling.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 May 2026
Olivia Rodrigo has unveiled her unraveling.
—Andrea Dresdale, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Having these properties taken away without recourse is effectively unraveling generations of effort.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
But increasingly devastating wildfires are unraveling one of the last bargains Californians have enjoyed.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Patience tends to be a virtue with Fukada’s cinema, and it’s certainly required upfront, as the film takes its time in unraveling key connections between characters, while the nature of certain relationships must be surmised through cues of expression and body language.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 May 2026
What begins as a skeptical pursuit of Richard’s double quickly devolves into an all-consuming obsession, unraveling Clare’s grip on reality and pulling her into a liminal nightmare where she is suspended between the living and the dead.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 May 2026
The Front Page Highlights Israel has escalated attacks on Lebanon since Thursday, further unraveling a truce in its war with Hezbollah.
—Abdi Latif Dahir Dustin Volz Arash Khamooshi Adam Sella, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Meta is firing back at a January lawsuit that alleged WhatsApp never supported end-to-end encryption, arguing the plaintiff’s claims are unraveling.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 May 2026
Olivia Rodrigo has unveiled her unraveling.
—Andrea Dresdale, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Having these properties taken away without recourse is effectively unraveling generations of effort.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveling
Verb
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Cracks in the casing, a stiff or fraying cord, or discoloration around outlets mean that your power strip is failing.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
16 May 2026
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The dobby border reinforces vulnerable areas, helping prevent fraying and stretching over time.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Chinese researchers have developed a lithium-sulfur battery design that could significantly extend drone flight times by solving one of the technology’s biggest long-standing problems.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
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But there is no universally applicable method for solving these differential equations.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
12 May 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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One the Philadelphia Phillies slugger isn't particularly interested in answering.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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On the one hand, the men in charge of teams are held to account at least twice a week for nine months, rain or shine, albeit answering different versions of the same question a lot of the time.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Verb
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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
Verb
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In reality, patients are absorbing risks that serve corporate interests rather than resolving genuine uncertainty about the therapeutic potential of a drug.—
Sukhun Kang,
The Conversation,
6 May 2026
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If the team stays bought in and the coach shows an early aptitude for resolving conflicts, change can be a good thing.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The hard work is going to be undoing centuries of religious, epistemic, political, and cultural erasure, and that’s up to humans.—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
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Several other African nations are still recovering from a post-pandemic shock that sent debt burdens soaring, and inflationary pressures triggered by the Iran war now risk undoing that progress.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Make untangling tomato stems from their cage at the end of the growing season by allowing the plant to die and dry in place.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 May 2026
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Mosquitoes really do play favorites — and the reasons reveal a fascinating tangle of genetics, body chemistry and evolutionary tracking that scientists are still untangling.—
Ryan Brennan
May 1,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unraveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unraveling. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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