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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
The spurious operation unraveled in a more ignominious way than Costanza’s.
—
Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Samia only needs the smallest thread to unravel winding truths about everything from womanhood and heartbreak to road trips and songwriting.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2025
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.
—Mike Deehan, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025
Hayne’s reputation had also been unraveling over the years.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Samia only needs the smallest thread to unravel winding truths about everything from womanhood and heartbreak to road trips and songwriting.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2025
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.
—Mike Deehan, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025
Hayne’s reputation had also been unraveling over the years.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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Our protagonist, Sean Bruner (Ross Marquand), is a security guard working at a private school in Los Angeles who’s fraying under the pressures of impending fatherhood.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
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Canada’s democracy has frayed and strained in the years since, but always held—Quebec’s independence movement was subdued by real concessions from the rest of the provinces, for instance.—
Bill McKibben,
The New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Even Uzo Aduba, whose character Detective Cordelia Cupp solved the case, and Randall Park, whose FBI Special Agent Edwin Park assisted her, were surprised by the reveal.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
21 Mar. 2025
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Scientists refer to this as convergent evolution, in which different species independently evolve similar traits to solve the same problems.—
Ella Jeffries,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The challenge revealed in early lawsuits is untangling how many agencies were created through a combination of statutes and executive orders.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
15 Mar. 2025
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Students in Blue Island who have been untangling their emotions and thoughts through creative writing recently received some attention, along with rave reviews, not just from their teachers but also the National Council of Teachers of English.—
Janice Neumann,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That case was eventually resolved, but not before X created an entire X account dedicated to harassing the Brazilian judge.—
Will McCurdy,
PCMAG,
23 Mar. 2025
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Blood tests showed signs of anemia, low blood platelets and the onset of kidney failure, all of which later resolved after two blood transfusions.—
NICOLE WINFIELD,
TIME,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In the past 50 years, incoming U.S. presidents have voluntarily taken steps to disentangle themselves from any activities that could be perceived as a conflict of interest or moneymaking venture during their time in office.—
Karen Yourish,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
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The law requires that any future U.S. arm of the platform be disentangled from the Chinese technology that runs it.—
Sareen Habeshian,
Axios,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Acknowledgment of past drug use doesn't necessarily bar people from entering or staying in the country, but answering untruthfully can have serious consequences.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
20 Mar. 2025
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When asked whether the boys would be tried as adults, the Office of the Second Judicial District Attorney in New Mexico declined to answer, citing the active investigation.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 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 Apr. 2025.
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