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
Meanwhile interest rate-cut bets are unraveling across developing Asia.
—
Chris Anstey, Bloomberg, 6 Mar. 2026
On the doorstep of a pivotal, final week and with its season in serious danger of unraveling, USC basketball’s leading scorer has been dismissed from the program.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
As clever as the king, Penelope sits at her loom each night unraveling the day’s work.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
Trade deals risk unraveling after the Supreme Court’s tariff decision.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2026
The supermodel posed in a white corset dress with a sheer skirt that appeared to be unraveling.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 17 Feb. 2026
Now, Archuleta has a newfound sense of liberation, having grappled with the heaviness of unraveling his foundation of faith.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
The ocean is vast, and the work of unraveling its mysteries is slow and physical.
—New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Winning Over the Rink Around the same time, Youngblood was grooming hockey dad Eric Perardi, the coach and real-estate developer, who was quietly unraveling amid a bitter divorce.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
Chris Anstey, Bloomberg, 6 Mar. 2026
On the doorstep of a pivotal, final week and with its season in serious danger of unraveling, USC basketball’s leading scorer has been dismissed from the program.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
As clever as the king, Penelope sits at her loom each night unraveling the day’s work.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
Trade deals risk unraveling after the Supreme Court’s tariff decision.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2026
The supermodel posed in a white corset dress with a sheer skirt that appeared to be unraveling.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 17 Feb. 2026
Now, Archuleta has a newfound sense of liberation, having grappled with the heaviness of unraveling his foundation of faith.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
The ocean is vast, and the work of unraveling its mysteries is slow and physical.
—New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Winning Over the Rink Around the same time, Youngblood was grooming hockey dad Eric Perardi, the coach and real-estate developer, who was quietly unraveling amid a bitter divorce.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveling
Verb
-
The fraying ties prompted Islamabad to return almost three million Afghan nationals in recent months, straining Kabul’s scant resources.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The finest pitching prospect since Ubaldo Jimenez became undone, fraying at the seams as part of a rotation that should be buried underneath the batting cages at Salt River Fields and never be spoken of again.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One senior official told reporters over the weekend that businesses need to take a greater lead in helping policymakers figure out which tech challenges are worth solving and in evaluating research outcomes.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
But there was something about this—the problem solving with the life and death part of it, the actual heights of it.—
Outside,
Outside,
10 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
-
Chatbots are designed for tasks like answering questions or helping with services, explains Lokesh Shahani, MD, PhD, MPH, a psychiatrist with UTHealth Houston and chief medical officer at UTHealth Houston Behavioral Sciences Campus.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Determining the cause and manner of death requires answering the questions of how and why the person died.—
Shannon Tyler
March 6,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Mar. 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
-
The announcement that Live Nation has reached a settlement with the Department of Justice, resolving a years-long suit alleging anticompetitive practices, likely answers the biggest question facing the concert behemoth.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Though the block sits in the shadow of TQL stadium, decades of redevelopment have repeatedly displaced families without resolving safety issues.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Inevitably, the boulder will roll backward, undoing decades and billions of dollars of work.—
Philip Budge,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Many diseases are more infectious and more lethal than COVID-19 was, and the next such pandemic could prove to be our species’ undoing.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The layers of deception and betrayal will feel deeply familiar to anyone who spent three seasons untangling Stephen’s lies.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
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Gerima continued to explain that untangling film production from its violent colonial past was a constant battle.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unraveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unraveling. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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