1
as in fraying
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 solving
to find an answer for through reasoning
unraveled the mystery
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unraveling
Returning to the treacherous halls of Reagan High, Jawbreaker The Musical is described as a high-gloss teen thriller that follows the rise—and unraveling—of a ruthless clique of teenage girls whose reign of power takes a deadly turn.
—
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 May 2026
This is a market recalibrating—not unraveling.
—Lee Kiser, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
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
Last week, the South Carolina Supreme Court delivered an account of how Hill’s conduct during the 2023 double-murder trial crossed ethical and constitutional lines, ultimately unraveling the state’s conviction of Murdaugh.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
But increasingly devastating wildfires are unraveling one of the last bargains Californians have enjoyed.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Your goals could include an emergency fund, low debt, and enough savings to handle surprises without everything else unraveling.
—Bydoug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026
Patience tends to be a virtue with Fukada’s cinema, and it’s certainly required upfront, as the film takes its time in unraveling key connections between characters, while the nature of certain relationships must be surmised through cues of expression and body language.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 May 2026
The Front Page Highlights Israel has escalated attacks on Lebanon since Thursday, further unraveling a truce in its war with Hezbollah.
—Abdi Latif Dahir Dustin Volz Arash Khamooshi Adam Sella, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 May 2026
This is a market recalibrating—not unraveling.
—Lee Kiser, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
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
Last week, the South Carolina Supreme Court delivered an account of how Hill’s conduct during the 2023 double-murder trial crossed ethical and constitutional lines, ultimately unraveling the state’s conviction of Murdaugh.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
But increasingly devastating wildfires are unraveling one of the last bargains Californians have enjoyed.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Your goals could include an emergency fund, low debt, and enough savings to handle surprises without everything else unraveling.
—Bydoug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026
Patience tends to be a virtue with Fukada’s cinema, and it’s certainly required upfront, as the film takes its time in unraveling key connections between characters, while the nature of certain relationships must be surmised through cues of expression and body language.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 May 2026
The Front Page Highlights Israel has escalated attacks on Lebanon since Thursday, further unraveling a truce in its war with Hezbollah.
—Abdi Latif Dahir Dustin Volz Arash Khamooshi Adam Sella, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveling
Verb
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For the last few years, he’s been mired in a complex web of mounting fees and permit nightmares, getting punted back and forth between city departments like a fraying football.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
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The old model, the one that sustained the indie ecosystem, is visibly fraying.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Verb
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As a former police officer my duties included investigating and solving tough problems to improve people’s day-to-day lives.—
Mercury News Editorial Board,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
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Now neither person is solving the problem.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The fundamental goal of the 1787 Constitution was to establish a republican form of government — and that meant disentangling the traditional powers of the monarch and placing them in different branches of government.—
David French,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Embedded in a patriarchal family within an oppressive society, Mrie faces the challenge of disentangling herself from both.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Anti-Weaponization Fund being set up in the Department of Justice will have a five-person board answering only to the attorney general, who is now Trump’s former personal criminal defense lawyer Todd Blanche in an acting capacity.—
The Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 May 2026
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According to Sarnoff, the show's producers always wanted the characters to find each other again and prioritized that over answering questions.—
Julie Tremaine,
PEOPLE,
23 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
Verb
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Seoul would maintain its goal of the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, while pursuing a phased and pragmatic approach to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue in close coordination with the international community, the spokesperson said.—
Joyce Lee,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
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The rally comes as investors bet on progress toward resolving tensions in the Middle East.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Verb
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The hard work is going to be undoing centuries of religious, epistemic, political, and cultural erasure, and that’s up to humans.—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
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Several other African nations are still recovering from a post-pandemic shock that sent debt burdens soaring, and inflationary pressures triggered by the Iran war now risk undoing that progress.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Make untangling tomato stems from their cage at the end of the growing season by allowing the plant to die and dry in place.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 May 2026
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Mosquitoes really do play favorites — and the reasons reveal a fascinating tangle of genetics, body chemistry and evolutionary tracking that scientists are still untangling.—
Ryan Brennan
May 1,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unraveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unraveling. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
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