1
as in unraveling
to separate the various strands of
gently untangled the baby's hair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freeing
to set free from entanglement or difficulty
I was finally able to untangle myself from my credit problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of untangling
Each new skeleton offers another potential data point for untangling these competing migration narratives.
—
Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
Creditors confronting both foreign trustees and secured interests must evaluate the cost of untangling each layer.
—Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Sheppard specializes in untangling other people’s financial messes.
—Joel Jacobs, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Sheppard specializes in untangling other people’s financial messes.
—Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, 10 Mar. 2026
There is nothing glamorous about arriving at your hotel and untangling a nest of cords.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2026
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
Gerima continued to explain that untangling film production from its violent colonial past was a constant battle.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
At other points, Siegal turned to Epstein for advice on everything from a dispute over her inheritance to untangling her personal finances to dealing with a rival to her publicity business.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
Creditors confronting both foreign trustees and secured interests must evaluate the cost of untangling each layer.
—Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Sheppard specializes in untangling other people’s financial messes.
—Joel Jacobs, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Sheppard specializes in untangling other people’s financial messes.
—Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, 10 Mar. 2026
There is nothing glamorous about arriving at your hotel and untangling a nest of cords.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2026
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
Gerima continued to explain that untangling film production from its violent colonial past was a constant battle.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
At other points, Siegal turned to Epstein for advice on everything from a dispute over her inheritance to untangling her personal finances to dealing with a rival to her publicity business.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untangling
Verb
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Their lack leaves us too much time to grow weary of Tara — whose unraveling under pressure is understandable, yet has an effect on the viewer more exhausting than empathy-inducing.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Island shelving provides storage for items that would otherwise be on countertops, freeing up more space.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Apr. 2026
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Two officials within the militia, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, told the Associated Press that in exchange for freeing Kittleson, several members of the group who had previously been detained by Iraqi authorities would be released.—
Todd Richmond,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Officers began life-saving measures and requested an ambulance to respond to the scene.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Harvesting rainwater has many benefits from saving money on your water bill to utilizing what freely falls from the sky for times when raindrops aren’t so abundant.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 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
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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 Fort Worth Fire Department was called to the scene to help with extricating four people from the vehicle, according to the statement.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
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The alternating timelines force the writers to do a lot of strained connection-building that, around midseason, ceases to be effective; the makers of Scarpetta were very smart about joining the murders narratively, but much less smart about extricating themselves creatively.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Because what was bad for his bank account was fantastic for his creative freedom, liberating Ehrenreich, who had been trapped on the anesthetizing career trajectory that’s a prerequisite for movie stardom, to embrace his wild side.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2026
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If everything went right, the OpenAI founders believed, artificial intelligence could usher in a post-scarcity utopia, automating grunt work, curing cancer, and liberating people to enjoy lives of leisure and abundance.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Untangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untangling. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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