unriddling

verb

present participle of unriddle
1
as in solving
to find an answer for through reasoning I managed to unriddle the novel's central mystery before the main character did

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in explaining
to make plain or understandable the all-encompassing genius of Leonardo da Vinci is something that no biographer could ever hope to unriddle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unriddling
  1. solving
  2. explaining
  3. unraveling
  4. clarifying
  5. answering
  6. illustrating
  7. resolving
  8. demonstrating
Verb
  • Some puzzlers describe solving the crossword as a workout; for me, today’s was a knock-down, drag-out fistfight.
    — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Yarbrough, who died at age 76 on Saturday, would be stationed at the table throughout the GHSA playoffs, sometimes welcoming guests and dignitaries and otherwise answering questions and solving problems.
    — Stan Awtrey, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of solving
Verb
  • The decision was posted on the White House website late in the evening, and the notification noted that the report explaining the decision had been submitted to Congress.
    — Will Weissert, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Kate is once again explaining to Hal something very obvious about his own psyche and routine behavior.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • The violence has left many in France with a sense that their nation was unraveling with a deeply unpopular president struggling to manage a growing debt crisis amid extreme social and political divisions.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Passmore plays David, a divorced, broke, and unraveling father who sets out for California with his oldest son, William (Nagy), on a two-thousand-mile drive.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of unraveling
Verb
  • Before meeting with a patient advocate, identify your main objectives – for example, preparing for a transition home, clarifying a treatment plan or understanding medication changes.
    — Jennifer Schlinger, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In November 2025, South Korea proposed talks on clarifying the borderline, but North Korea didn’t respond.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of clarifying
Verb
  • Kansas’ junior Republican senator spent roughly 30 minutes answering questions from a Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce moderator.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The harder question is one the West has been quietly answering the same way for three hundred years, and the answer sits at the heart of the Enlightenment.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of answering
Verb
  • There’s nothing like a crisis for illustrating who’s put in the work to develop strong muscle memory and habits of mind.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In 2025, France TV Distribution organized a major promotional tour in Tokyo for the team, including press conferences and fan meetings, illustrating the exceptional enthusiasm ‘Bright Minds’ generates in Japan.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of illustrating
Verb
  • Figures emerge from his signature black background, their silhouettes resolving and dissolving amid legato drips and vigorous brushwork.
    — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Military force may alter the balance of pain without resolving the disputes each side will eventually have to confront across the negotiating table.
    — Ali Vaez, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of resolving
Verb
  • There's also the gap between demonstrating a prototype and delivering a finished vehicle.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Its progress will depend on integrating the communications hardware and demonstrating the system’s performance through testing.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of demonstrating
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.

Browse Nearby Words

unriddles
unriddling
unrighteous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unriddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unriddling. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of asunder

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All