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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unraveling
When Floyd is found dead at a community pool, surrounded by a poisonous cocktail and a vintage Playgirl magazine, two detectives (Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday) begin unraveling the bizarre chain of events that led to his death.
—
Clayton Davis, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
But the regime shows no sign of unraveling, and the people who have replaced senior leaders are known as equally hard-line or arguably even more militant than their predecessors, according to Western officials and experts on Iran.
—Abigail Williams, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
While his career on the court began to slow down, Odom's personal life was seemingly unraveling.
—Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
With imposing, sometimes comic intensity, Seimetz captures the anxieties of a woman on the verge of unraveling whenever life seems out of order — even the misplacement of a dish.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026
Vance also questioned what information Omar allegedly knew and withheld regarding sweeping fraud federal investigators are unraveling in her home state of Minnesota.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
The tectonic architecture of the Aegean Sea is messy, rife with crisscrossing faults and myriad volcanoes that make unraveling what happens at depth extremely difficult.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Well, scientists are only now unraveling the true health benefits of the the tiny kiwi – with many properties more impressive than its larger cousins.
—New Atlas, 22 Mar. 2026
The story follows a family unraveling amid open marriages, conspiracy and emotional turmoil.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Clayton Davis, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
But the regime shows no sign of unraveling, and the people who have replaced senior leaders are known as equally hard-line or arguably even more militant than their predecessors, according to Western officials and experts on Iran.
—Abigail Williams, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
While his career on the court began to slow down, Odom's personal life was seemingly unraveling.
—Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
With imposing, sometimes comic intensity, Seimetz captures the anxieties of a woman on the verge of unraveling whenever life seems out of order — even the misplacement of a dish.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026
Vance also questioned what information Omar allegedly knew and withheld regarding sweeping fraud federal investigators are unraveling in her home state of Minnesota.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
The tectonic architecture of the Aegean Sea is messy, rife with crisscrossing faults and myriad volcanoes that make unraveling what happens at depth extremely difficult.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Well, scientists are only now unraveling the true health benefits of the the tiny kiwi – with many properties more impressive than its larger cousins.
—New Atlas, 22 Mar. 2026
The story follows a family unraveling amid open marriages, conspiracy and emotional turmoil.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveling
Verb
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But gaps the size of ours are breeding frustration and distrust, fraying the social fabric and creating the conditions for instability and upheaval.—
Russell Hancock,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
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These sateen sheets only get softer after each wash, according to shopping director Rachel Fletcher, who has had the high-quality bedding for years and has never spotted fraying or pilling.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The company is ushering a new approach to solving the industry’s biggest hurdles with Denim Codes, a collection intended to bring together material innovation, garment expertise, and advanced finishing into a clear and common language.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Santa Ana Police Department detectives are seeking help from the public in solving a homicide that left a 37-year-old man dead outside his home in early 2025.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 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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Even now, with Brooklyn across his chest and the NBA asking much bigger questions of him, Powell is still answering with the same habits.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
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And increasingly, women in their 40s and 50s are answering that call.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 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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Grammy winner Lil Nas X is another step closer to potentially resolving his felony police battery case.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Chinese analysts also reflect an acute awareness from Beijing of the entrenched challenges in resolving a conflict where the two sides have little trust and much animosity.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Within 24 hours of being sworn in at the White House surrounded by family on Wednesday, Mullin had rolled up his sleeves and begun undoing the unprecedented regulations that Noem and her cohort, Corey Lewandowski, had imposed across the department.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
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But about 20 years later, Houdry read about Haagy’s discovery of the cause-effect between cars and smog, and turned his talent to inventing a catalytic converter process, essentially undoing his catalytic cracker and scrubbing pollution from gasoline.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Creditors confronting both foreign trustees and secured interests must evaluate the cost of untangling each layer.—
Ascend Agency,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
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Rebecca Sheppard specializes in untangling other people’s financial messes.—
Joel Jacobs,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unraveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unraveling. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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