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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disentangling
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
Embedded in a patriarchal family within an oppressive society, Mrie faces the challenge of disentangling herself from both.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
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
David French, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Embedded in a patriarchal family within an oppressive society, Mrie faces the challenge of disentangling herself from both.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disentangling
Verb
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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
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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,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Several years later, then-President Abraham Lincoln, a member of the Republican Party, issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, freeing all slaves living in Confederate states who were against the Union.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Mar. 2026
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After freeing a man who was convicted in a pizza delivery driver’s slaying, the state’s Parole Board has rejected releasing an accomplice who fatally stabbed the food courier.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Hortas were horrified to learn that Tania Hernandez, the owner of the small house where their friend was going hungry, was a social services worker for the state charged with the mission of saving frail, elderly and disabled adults like Rabell.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Kane County Health Department has partnered with community organizations to install publicly accessible naloxone dispensing boxes, making the life-saving medication easier to obtain quickly and discreetly.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 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
Verb
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Today the artist, who is of Māori and Scottish descent, sees the irony of her first encounter — liberating the bird from a symbol of the culture that caused its demise.—
Tom Page,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
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But is liberating to be able to laugh about such terrible things on screen.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Fort Worth Fire Department was called to the scene to help with extricating four people from the vehicle, according to the statement.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
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The alternating timelines force the writers to do a lot of strained connection-building that, around midseason, ceases to be effective; the makers of Scarpetta were very smart about joining the murders narratively, but much less smart about extricating themselves creatively.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So, while the video might look dramatic, having an emotional reaction after releasing physical tension is natural, said Watrous, who was not involved in Rimes' treatment.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The data comes as Japan grapples with the fallout from the Iran war, with the country releasing oil stockpiles and enacting fuel subsidies to stave off the worst of the energy shock from the closed Strait of Hormuz.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Devastating flooding occurred in North Shore communities on Oahu, where homes were swept away and residents needed rescuing.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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But Emma said the Russian government showed little interest in rescuing her sister, pointing to Elizabeth's public opinions online as a human rights activist.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disentangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangling. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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