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
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Recent Examples of untangling
Hanging ornaments with care can be one of the highlights of the holiday season, but untangling wads of string lights is far less enjoyable.
—
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
The album was heralded as Lorde’s most personal project to date, with the singer examining and untangling gender roles, body image issues and her sexuality.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2025
The unique energy coming off Dickinson in the role seems to have been hard-earned — a result of his years spent tying the knots of his own masculinity and then eventually untangling them.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
The show, so far, has emphasized a clear-eyed approach to its subjects’ misdeeds, but also curiosity about untangling their psyches.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
With the help of resourceful Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente), Bourne evades capture from the CIA — namely data analyst Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and Deputy Director Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) — while untangling his involvement in the deadly Operation Treadstone.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2025
For Glessner Lee, the puzzle of untangling the truth about violent deaths proved irresistible.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2025
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
The challenges of untangling dementia Dementia is a major noncommunicable disease that is a leading cause of death around the world.
—Anand Kumar, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2025
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
The album was heralded as Lorde’s most personal project to date, with the singer examining and untangling gender roles, body image issues and her sexuality.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2025
The unique energy coming off Dickinson in the role seems to have been hard-earned — a result of his years spent tying the knots of his own masculinity and then eventually untangling them.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
The show, so far, has emphasized a clear-eyed approach to its subjects’ misdeeds, but also curiosity about untangling their psyches.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
With the help of resourceful Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente), Bourne evades capture from the CIA — namely data analyst Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and Deputy Director Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) — while untangling his involvement in the deadly Operation Treadstone.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2025
For Glessner Lee, the puzzle of untangling the truth about violent deaths proved irresistible.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2025
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
The challenges of untangling dementia Dementia is a major noncommunicable disease that is a leading cause of death around the world.
—Anand Kumar, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untangling
Verb
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With storms closing in, dwindling fuel, and a panicked, pregnant passenger at the controls, Braden must talk her through an impossible landing while fighting his own exhaustion, guilt, and unraveling personal life.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
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Abandoned Mansion smells like history and curiosity intertwined, the scent of someone worth unraveling.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Not as a gimmick, but to automate reporting, clean messy data, and flag compliance risks, freeing up humans for strategy, supplier engagement, and culture change.—
Gus Bartholomew,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Nov. 2025
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Video shows the deputy firing a single shot to the head, killing the suspect and instantly freeing the crying boy.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Officers performed life-saving measures on Green before he was pronounced dead on location, Hoskin said.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Tyrod Taylor’s not saving the season anymore than Quinn Ewers is saving the show in Miami.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Our narrator, a gay, happily married father of two disentangling himself from a poly love affair, is—depending on the light—brilliant, self-mythologizing, abject, hopeful, and vulnerable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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In less than a decade, Cabral united more than a million Guineans in the struggle against Portuguese colonial rule, liberating three-quarters of the countryside of Guinea-Bissau and inspiring other African nations to rebel and claim their independence.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
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Detouring into satire would give that notion some pause and would give my writing some wings, liberating me from self-consciousness and untethering me from reality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Untangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untangling. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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