unravel

verb

ˌən-ˈra-vəl How to pronounce unravel (audio)
Definition of unravelnext
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning unraveled the mystery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unravel Three civil rights cases could ultimately unravel one of the transgender rights movement’s greatest Supreme Court victories, according to legal analysts. — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026 How Amazon’s plan unraveled In February, GW president Ellen Granberg announced the university had sold the campus, but did not initially identify the buyer or disclose the purchase price. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 The seven-minute video, sent in early May 2021, offered a step-by-step guide for carrying out modern warfare in a country where everything seemed to be unraveling. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026 The familiar imperial arc—expansion, overreach, strain, unraveling—once played out across a century or even a millennium. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
  1. fray
  2. solve
  3. untangle
  4. resolve
  5. disentangle
  6. answer
  7. untwist
  8. unsnarl
Verb
  • But that consensus began to fray several years ago and has recently threatened to unravel altogether as Democrats have shifted drastically and rapidly from unequivocal support for Israel, reflecting a sea change in Americans’ views.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The party was a reminder of the close cross border ties that are frayed but so far not broken by the visa crackdown.
    — Angela Kocherga, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of fray
Verb
  • An organization identifies a bully—sometimes even removes them—and leadership exhales, believing the problem is solved.
    — Jonathan H. Westover, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • But, as both an idealist and a pragmatist, she was drawn to the potential for science to solve difficult environmental problems.
    — Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of solve
Verb
  • The chemistry prize recognized two scientists for untangling mysterious mirror images in molecules, a discovery that has been used to develop countless drugs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The reason why is a mystery—scientists are still working to untangle whether a healthy gut drives longevity or is a by-product of it.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of untangle
Verb
  • Valter Mazzetti, secretary-general of the Fsp police union, told The Associated Press that soldiers could provide immediate reinforcements but not resolve police staffing shortages.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Leaders said the agreement resolves several issues raised about the roles of state and local government in the stadium project, including land use and utilities.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of resolve
Verb
  • Pawlikowski’s mother and father, also named Zula and Wiktor, whose unmanageable love had kept them tangled and disentangled for decades, took their own lives in 1989, as the Cold War that had cast its chill upon their time was beginning to thaw.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • His remarks escalated a confrontation over New York’s efforts to disentangle local police from federal immigration enforcement.
    — María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of disentangle
Verb
  • Golden State answered with a three-pointer by Veronica Burton to briefly silence them.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Young protestors answered with an insurrectionary energy in the summer and soon found support from a broader coalition comprised of opposition parties, social movements and other pillars of Indian civil society.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of answer
Verb
  • If the testicle is not untwisted within hours, it can be lost.
    — Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 25 June 2026
  • Daily untwisted the beer bottle cap, poured it into his shoe, and took a healthy swig, standing up for dramatic effect.
    — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Definition of untwist
Verb
  • How to unsnarl the emotions that play tug-of-war with our souls?
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
  • During the recent supply-chain crisis, XPO helped unsnarl bottlenecks for customers in several industries.
    — Joann S. Lublin, Time, 27 Nov. 2022
Definition of unsnarl

Browse Nearby Words

unquietness
unravel
unraveled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unravel. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All