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
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
Meanwhile, at home, the government is unraveling.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Like hooking up with your ex even though you’ll be left emotionally unraveling and picking up the pieces afterwards.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2026
The mummy delights in slowly unraveling her new host family (this is as close as the movie gets to a big idea), but not all of us are blessed with the patience of an undying Egyptian deity.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
When Floyd is found dead at a community pool surrounded by a poisonous cocktail and a vintage Playgirl magazine, two detectives (Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday) begin unraveling the bizarre chain of events that led to his death.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
The college bargain that a generation of Americans was sold (borrow money, earn a degree, join the middle class) has been quietly unraveling for 20 years.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Meanwhile, at home, the government is unraveling.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Like hooking up with your ex even though you’ll be left emotionally unraveling and picking up the pieces afterwards.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2026
The mummy delights in slowly unraveling her new host family (this is as close as the movie gets to a big idea), but not all of us are blessed with the patience of an undying Egyptian deity.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
When Floyd is found dead at a community pool surrounded by a poisonous cocktail and a vintage Playgirl magazine, two detectives (Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday) begin unraveling the bizarre chain of events that led to his death.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
The college bargain that a generation of Americans was sold (borrow money, earn a degree, join the middle class) has been quietly unraveling for 20 years.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveling
Verb
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The dobby border reinforces vulnerable areas, helping prevent fraying and stretching over time.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
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The mayor’s veto eliminated a measure to reduce public hostility at a time of toxic divisions fraying the city.—
Andrew Cuomo,
New York Daily News,
2 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
-
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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The filmmaker crafted something that provides a narrative without answering everything for us.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
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In honor of May being ALS Awareness Month, the content creator, 37, has continued her annual tradition of answering viewers' questions about her amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which she was diagnosed with in 2022.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
4 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 15 May. 2026.
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