1
as in to fray
to separate the various strands of
it took us forever to unravel the jumbled mass of Christmas tree lights
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2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
unraveled the mystery
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unravel
Just Andrea Riseborough, outstanding as a unraveling woman willing to do anything to hold onto the domestic Eden she’s created for herself?
—
Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
The massive dataset, published Wednesday by the journal Nature, marks a step toward unraveling the mystery of how our brains work.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2025
The dismissal of Malone could prove to be a turning point for the Nuggets—either sparking a resurgence or further unraveling their season.
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
She is also considered to be at the center of many of the exploded prison’s unraveling secrets.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
The massive dataset, published Wednesday by the journal Nature, marks a step toward unraveling the mystery of how our brains work.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2025
The dismissal of Malone could prove to be a turning point for the Nuggets—either sparking a resurgence or further unraveling their season.
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
She is also considered to be at the center of many of the exploded prison’s unraveling secrets.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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His shirt collar is frayed, and there’s a hole in the right elbow of his sweater.—
Domenico Starnone,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2025
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Burnout frayed Patton’s love for sourcing and selling coffee.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
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His presence is part of the peculiar riddle that Djokovic, who turns 38 on May 22, has been trying to solve for going on two years now.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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The hedge-fund collapses and Russian debt default in the 1998 financial panic and the U.S. sovereign-debt standoff in 2011 also did not feel as if they had been solved at the point the stock market started rebounding.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Professional legal and finance counsel can aid you in untangling complex distressed transactions and dodging surprises.—
Arman Harutyunyan,
Forbes,
25 Mar. 2025
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Formerly an ergonomically shaped handleless brush, the 2.0 version of the brand's ultimate detangler is the ultimate multitasker for untangling wet or dry hair for durable brushing with flexible nylon pin bristles.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The agency will be required to submit a report showing who is being held and who was arrested, along with the reasoning for both, every 60 days until the lawsuit is resolved.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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The Amber Alert system is used widely throughout the U.S., with 82 plans in place to help recover children after they have been determined missing, enabling some missing child reports to be resolved.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Though the film was completed well before the current administration took office, there’s something itchy about needing to disentangle the realities of last year’s elections from the idea of an estimable Black woman as our president.—
Beatrice Loayza,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
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That changed in 2021 under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, as part of an effort to disentangle finances between the city and the district.—
Ikram Mohamed,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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One guy the Pistons really let get loose was Karl-Anthony Towns, who answered concerns about his quiet second half of Game 2 by scoring 31 points on just 18 field goal attempts.—
Mat Issa,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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Dear Life Kit is NPR's advice column, where experts answer tricky questions about relationships, social etiquette, work culture and more.—
Malaka Gharib,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Twist hair onto the barrel, holding for a few seconds near the root, and then untwist.—
Claire Sullivan,
WWD,
3 Sep. 2019
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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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What’s more, giving yourself space to rest and introspect could help you unsnarl a problem that’s been weighing you down lately.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2022
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Supply chains have started to unsnarl, and commodity prices for oil and some grains have dipped after surging amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.—
Jeanna Smialek,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Unravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unravel. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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