untangling

verb

present participle of untangle
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

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 Drop it onto its magnetic base station when you're done playing, and never worry about untangling dead wires again. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026 With power out to multiple customers, Duquesne Light crews also had their hands full, tasked with untangling the multiple fallen wires, some of which were ripped from buildings. — Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 To try Cruz’s favorite technique yourself, start by untangling the cables in your desk drawer. — The Spruce, 20 Aug. 2026 Without spoiling anything, Annie spends her time on the island untangling her family lore and figuring out what comes next—all in a place where getting around requires a boat. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untangling
  1. unraveling
  2. freeing
  3. saving
  4. disentangling
  5. extricating
  6. liberating
Verb
  • The research has started unraveling the pathways that lead to behavior and disease.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Now, the task of unraveling the case will fall to the state’s attorney general, Letitia James, who was appointed as a special prosecutor.
    — Hallie Golden, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of unraveling
Verb
  • Google said in its release that its new model is already being used internally to optimize memory at Google’s data centers, freeing up hundreds of terabytes of memory without buying additional hardware.
    — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Automation can improve consistency while freeing teams to focus on higher-value analysis.
    — Ann Blakely, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of freeing
Verb
  • Best Buy is currently selling the model for $28 cheaper than Amazon during their Prime Big Deal Days event with a total saving up to $428.
    — Harry Bennett, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • But what started as a cost-saving measure is now costing organizations their customers.
    — Malte Kosub, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 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
  • The vehicle ended up in a driveway where an off-duty firefighter stopped to help, extricating Orowson from the Honda, according to state police.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Not that extricating supply chains from China is sufficient in today’s nativist political climate.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of extricating
Verb
  • The Sun in your sign trines liberating Uranus in your adventurous 9th house, encouraging you to explore a new subject, destination, belief, or direction.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
  • And by engaging with these powerful militaries, the group reinforced its self-image as a major regional player that was uniquely capable of liberating the Muslim world from corrupting American and Israeli influence.
    — April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of liberating

Browse Nearby Words

untangles
untangling
untanned
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Cite this Entry

“Untangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untangling. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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