UNTANGLING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

untangling

verb

present participle of untangle

as in unraveling

to separate the various strands of gently untangled the baby's hair

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in freeing

to set free from entanglement or difficulty I was finally able to untangle myself from my credit problems

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of untangling To try Cruz’s favorite technique yourself, start by untangling the cables in your desk drawer. — The Spruce, 20 Aug. 2026 Japan, meanwhile, has spent the past several years untangling another mess. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Researchers will spend years untangling the two, and policymakers will be reading corridor numbers that mean less every quarter. — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 Mike walked up and down the boat, untangling lines, re-tying lures, and helping anyone who needed it. — Matthew Every, Outdoor Life, 8 July 2026 So when a diabetic patient develops gastroparesis, untangling whether the drug or the disease is responsible is genuinely difficult. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 13 June 2026 Navy excels at untangling human emotions and picking through them without being didactic or moralistic. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026 Because family court dockets are heavily backlogged, critics say a guardian’s recommendation often becomes the final word, despite the grueling and complex nature of the disputes they are tasked with untangling. — Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2026 The Seattle Mariners were an out away from untangling a messy fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon. — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 24 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for untangling

Verb

Terrill pointed to the purchase of the Grass Campus as the pivotal decision in the federation’s unraveling.

— Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
Even so, Sepahvand, now director at Daric Investment Group, said Iran's economy is indeed deteriorating under the weight of mounting sanctions — but far from unraveling.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of unraveling

Verb

And businesses may be seriously underestimating the value of freeing up their people to have new ideas.

— Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
But by funding facilities and administrative costs normally borne by the schools, states are freeing universities to use their own dollars for other purposes.

— David A. Lieb, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of freeing

Verb

Parton invested time and money in causes that were important to her, including funding college tuition and saving bald eagles.

— Maggie Penman, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Insider tip Guests can check the availability of washing machines and the public bath right from the TV in each room, saving a trip downstairs or a call to the front desk.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of saving

Verb

Cutting Iran off completely from the UAE could deal a serious blow to the Islamic Republic’s economy — but experts say disentangling the pair’s commercial ties could prove difficult.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026
New characters and backstory details are dropped in before existing loose ends are tied up, resulting in unclear motivations and convoluted layers of subplot that, ultimately, do not prove relevant enough to have been worth disentangling.

— Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of disentangling

Verb

Not that extricating supply chains from China is sufficient in today’s nativist political climate.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
After largely extricating itself from Iraq in 2011, the United States had to send troops back in 2014 to fight the Islamic State, or ISIS, which emerged from the post-invasion chaos.

— Michael Fuchs, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of extricating

Verb

And yet, liberating writing from the capitalist ethic has its own value.

— M. C. Mah, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
For Russian propagandists, the Azov Brigade, which began as a nationalist militia, was shorthand for the supposedly fascist influences from which Vladimir Putin claimed to be liberating Ukraine.

— Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of liberating

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untangles

untangling

untanned

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Style

“Untangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untangling. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of untangling

verb

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