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
Senate Republicans and White House allies had warned that House changes risked unraveling a broader bipartisan coalition behind the measure.
—
Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 20 May 2026
The relationship unraveled last summer.
—Brian Maass, CBS News, 20 May 2026
Authorities are trying to unravel what led two teenagers to open fire at the San Diego Islamic Center, killing three people before taking their own lives.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
The game slowly unraveled for Miami, with Atlanta chipping away at its deficit.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 20 May 2026
The relationship unraveled last summer.
—Brian Maass, CBS News, 20 May 2026
Authorities are trying to unravel what led two teenagers to open fire at the San Diego Islamic Center, killing three people before taking their own lives.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
The game slowly unraveled for Miami, with Atlanta chipping away at its deficit.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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In recent years, that moral and political alignment has frayed.—
Michael W. Sonnenfeldt,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
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This compact began to fray in the 2010s as the scrappy upstarts of the early days grew into globe-spanning giants with untold power and influence.—
Jonathan Weber,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Verb
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November 22 – December 21 A small system could suddenly solve more than expected today.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
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Fifty-one years later, Three Days of the Condor offers business leaders lessons in individual resilience, creative problem solving in chaos and the value of transparency under pressure.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Her husband John Legend, along with another woman on the carpet, knelt to untangle the dress's hem.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
26 May 2026
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The Seattle Mariners were an out away from untangling a messy fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
24 May 2026
Verb
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The racial and gender discrimination claims were dismissed, but Rogers and TCC were ordered to go through mediation to resolve the religious discrimination claim.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
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Episode 2 of the first series sees a huge misunderstanding on the phone cause Gavin to have to drive to Wales to resolve his relationship.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The patterns bear the hallmarks of overlapping portfolio-management strategies, often index-based and much of it likely automated, and all of it difficult to disentangle.—
Justina Lee,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
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This is practically impossible for something with an enormous mass like a planet or star, as there’s no known way to disentangle the gravitational constant (G) from a mass (M) from orbital mechanics alone.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Dispatchers were able to answer 43 calls, Large said, and the rest rolled to backup dispatch centers in surrounding counties.—
Amy Lavalley,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
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Paintsil staked the Galaxy to a 1-0 lead with an unassisted score in the 30th minute and Santos answered in the 41st with assists from Jack McGlynn — his fourth — and defender Antônio Carlos — his first.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 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 27 May. 2026.
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