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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unraveling
While Bowyer understood his organization was unraveling, his players did not yet know about the raid.
—
David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
Experts warn that reimposing sanctions would deepen Iran's isolation, risk unraveling the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and further destabilize a region already under strain from conflicts.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Despite such an opulent setting, everything is far from peachy as Justine slips deeper into her depression throughout the night, unraveling her relationship, job and emotional stability in a matter of hours.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Any trip to the dark night skies of our Southern California deserts reveals a vista full of wonder and mystery — riddles that astrophysicists like myself spend our days unraveling.
—Steven R. Furlanetto, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
The film features interviews with police, lawyers, journalists and Jussie himself, unraveling conflicting narratives and new evidence.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 16 Aug. 2025
With an epic vision, these poems address complex themes, dreaming and unraveling threads of history and myth.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
Another roadblock to unraveling the enigma has been the lack of systematic and sustained field research in a region of hundreds of separate islands, some of which archaeologists have never properly investigated, Brumm said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
Brown described with alarm how the erosion of voting rights is unraveling democracy itself.
—Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
Experts warn that reimposing sanctions would deepen Iran's isolation, risk unraveling the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and further destabilize a region already under strain from conflicts.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Despite such an opulent setting, everything is far from peachy as Justine slips deeper into her depression throughout the night, unraveling her relationship, job and emotional stability in a matter of hours.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Any trip to the dark night skies of our Southern California deserts reveals a vista full of wonder and mystery — riddles that astrophysicists like myself spend our days unraveling.
—Steven R. Furlanetto, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
The film features interviews with police, lawyers, journalists and Jussie himself, unraveling conflicting narratives and new evidence.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 16 Aug. 2025
With an epic vision, these poems address complex themes, dreaming and unraveling threads of history and myth.
—Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
Another roadblock to unraveling the enigma has been the lack of systematic and sustained field research in a region of hundreds of separate islands, some of which archaeologists have never properly investigated, Brumm said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
Brown described with alarm how the erosion of voting rights is unraveling democracy itself.
—Essence, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveling
Verb
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Advertisement Sports fandom has a special power to connect people, especially at a time when so many of our traditional civic bonds are fraying.—
Todd Rogers,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
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About eight or nine hours into a punishing shoot, nerves were fraying, and Mike McGuirk was getting chewed out by a camera operator.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the meeting soon became a critical venue for surfacing and solving problems and, where possible, removing barriers.—
Nelson P. Repenning,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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Each episode will offer unprecedented access into the step-by-step process of solving a murder case, from the first clue to the decisive moment that changes everything.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Brittany Luse is joined by writer and journalist Ana Marie Cox to get into how people are disentangling alcohol from their lives, and the lessons she's learned as a recovering alcoholic.—
Veralyn Williams,
NPR,
6 Jan. 2025
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Patel has talked about disentangling the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations — now a core function of the bureau’s mandate — from the rest of its operations.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
1 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Why Colombians are answering Zelenskyy’s plea Decades of warfare have left Colombia with one of the largest and most well-trained armies in the world.—
Rebecca Johns,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
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Around 50 Hoosier guardsmen will help ICE officials with tasks such as answering phones, biometric collection, tracking expenses, entering data and maintaining vehicles.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The past year has been marred by a number of troubles, including resolving management problems and financial issues.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Sep. 2025
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Then just four months ago, the Supreme Court stated that adherence to extant precedent like Humphrey's Executor controls in resolving stay motions.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some fem-tech leaders are disrupting the menopause market with companies focused on undoing the stigma and inequality associated with menopause.—
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira,
Flow Space,
3 Sep. 2025
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The Administration is now committed to undoing anticompetitive market distortions (ACMDs) at both the federal and state levels.—
Alden Abbott,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Many modern and contemporary writers are drawn to the villanelle as a way to circle around their subject matter, exploring obsession, enchantment, brooding, or the slow work of untangling a difficult emotion.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unraveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unraveling. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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