1
as in unraveling
to separate the various strands of
it took forever to disentangle the knot
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freeing
to set free from entanglement or difficulty
the years that it took to disentangle ourselves from our troubles after someone started using our social security numbers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disentangling
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, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Patel has talked about disentangling the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations — now a core function of the bureau’s mandate — from the rest of its operations.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2024
For conditions like obesity, neurodegenerative disease (like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases), and some psychiatric diseases (like depression), disentangling cause from effect is more challenging.
—Keren Landman, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Patel has talked about disentangling the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations — now a core function of the bureau’s mandate — from the rest of its operations.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2024
For conditions like obesity, neurodegenerative disease (like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases), and some psychiatric diseases (like depression), disentangling cause from effect is more challenging.
—Keren Landman, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disentangling
Verb
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And Tony Day is the key to unraveling that plot and Sweetpea’s got the bit between her teeth.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
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By 2017, her private life was unraveling amid family tensions, abusive coaching and hidden trauma.—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Conley was waived Thursday, freeing the veteran 19-year guard to sign with a playoff contender, and seems to be on a reunion course with Minnesota.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
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Deaths are expected to rise in the years ahead because of an aging population, freeing up more homes.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The administration says this is a cost-saving solution for Americans at a time when rising energy bills are causing concern around the country.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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While putting a chair in a parking spot may seem like a simple gesture, saving spaces has created friction among residents.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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So that's going to be the hardest part about this game — untangling this five-dimensional web of connections that go back 20 years to Colby and Jenna and Stephenie.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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The podcast is a fascinating artifact, the tale of a woman still untangling her role as both victim and victimizer.—
Jillian Steinhauer,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For the determined, liberating people’s cars from the ice can mean a quick source of income.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
5 Feb. 2026
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Was that liberating, or more nerve-wracking?—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The unit's soldiers train to operate in frigid conditions, like driving special cold weather vehicles and extricating themselves from icy waters.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Wild animals had gnawed through the pressurized canisters, releasing the chemicals inside.—
Rachel Becker,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
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More than a week after Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing from her Arizona home in a possible kidnapping, law enforcement brought a man in for questioning before releasing him.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Armenia didn’t need rescuing.—
Marlise Kast-Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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The Brookhaven Police Department has earned a Compassionate Police Department Award from PETA in recognition of officers' swift response and professionalism in rescuing a 3-month-old puppy who was allegedly abused live on Twitch.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disentangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangling. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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