1
as in to fray
to separate the various strands of
it took us forever to unravel the jumbled mass of Christmas tree lights
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
unraveled the mystery
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unravel
Add in Noah Östlund’s Game 4 injury, and how that could unravel the progress the Sabres’ power play was making, and there is an opening here for Boston to take advantage of.
—
Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
In that vein, the five plaintiffs — who also are looking to unravel last year’s Paramount acquisition of Skydance — are going right to the math.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2026
Olivia Rodrigo has unveiled her unraveling.
—Andrea Dresdale, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
That arrangement, however, began to unravel after Sportico reported in late September on its financial terms, which critics viewed as disproportionately favorable to Blueprint.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
In that vein, the five plaintiffs — who also are looking to unravel last year’s Paramount acquisition of Skydance — are going right to the math.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2026
Olivia Rodrigo has unveiled her unraveling.
—Andrea Dresdale, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
That arrangement, however, began to unravel after Sportico reported in late September on its financial terms, which critics viewed as disproportionately favorable to Blueprint.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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There are a lot of idea threads that fray off and don’t go anywhere.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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The April state visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla of Britain (more properly the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland) and the Commonwealth (formerly the British Empire) provides an opportunity to repair relations frayed mainly by the Iran War.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The best lip liners for mature lips solve a problem that goes beyond smudging.—
Micaela English,
Glamour,
30 Apr. 2026
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Pip is back to solve another case in season 2 of the beloved Good Girl's Guide series based on books by Holly Jackson.—
Madeleine Janz,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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India wants to become a manufacturing powerhouse to rival China — but its reliance on the Chinese supply chain for things like batteries and semiconductors makes for a complex and exceedingly difficult puzzle to untangle.—
K Oanh Ha,
Bloomberg,
21 Apr. 2026
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One other question may be how easily his businesses may be untangled if the company is sold in pieces.—
Erik Hayden,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Let the conversation unfold without rushing to resolve it.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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But Sessions testified that Exxon’s lawyers refused to negotiate directly with senior Venezuelan officials to resolve their legal dispute, which was going through arbitration in the International Court of Justice.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The single-system design would be costly to disentangle — if possible at all.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
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Veterinarians then assessed whether Meatloaf could be safely disentangled in the water or needed to be brought in for further care, Jaros said.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In my case, that often means answering questions about trees, shrubs, flowers, lawns, and the labor-intensive world of turfgrass management.—
Markis Hill,
Kansas City Star,
3 May 2026
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These are questions that absolutely need to be answered.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Verb
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In a feat of precision physics, researchers from Cornell and Stanford Universities have filmed atoms twisting and untwisting in perfect sync, a choreography that unfolds in just a trillionth of a second.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Nov. 2025
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In rare cases, a volvulus can partially resolve on its own if the twist or obstruction is not severe and the intestine untwists spontaneously.—
Sarah Jividen,
Health,
22 Sep. 2024
Verb
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How to unsnarl the emotions that play tug-of-war with our souls?—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
15 Dec. 2025
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During the recent supply-chain crisis, XPO helped unsnarl bottlenecks for customers in several industries.—
Joann S. Lublin,
Time,
27 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Unravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unravel. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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