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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2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
unraveled the mystery
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Recent Examples of unravel
An injured woman's sudden disappearance from the hospital leads to a murder investigation; as an eyewitness to the crime, Brady partners with Benson's SVU to unravel a complex motive; an explosive discovery puts both squads in danger.
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Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Jan. 2026
As a protein chemist, Jogikalmath understands how proteins unravel.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Jan. 2026
But the frustrations, injuries and off-court noise eventually caught up, and the partnership unraveled quicker than anyone expected.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2026
Gael García Bernal and Matthew Macfadyen co-star in a story that slowly unravels.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
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The pants feature slightly frayed, cuffed hems with an inseam that’s suitable for shorter frames, plus they’re made from stretchy denim for all-day comfort.—
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The other is a longtime crime family who has ruled the South Side for generations, but is now fraying.—
Verb
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For example, in ecological matters, the only way to solve the problem is to continue advancing technologically.—
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But the show’s primary perspective also seems to be that Kingstown’s problems are so impossible to solve that only someone like Mike — with no official affiliation — can mitigate against the worst possible outcome.—
Verb
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The emotional Moon forms a flowing trine with Chiron, energizing your 11th House of Networks and untangling the complexities of group efforts.—
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Sondheim got to work at eight o’clock one night, devising a version of the murder game in which all the players would have to use their wits to untangle the mystery.—
Verb
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Spain's Defense Ministry did not respond to multiple requests seeking to confirm its involvement in resolving the pay issue.—
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Recent talks between the Dutch and Chinese governments show signs of resolving the crisis.—
Verb
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NBCUniversal’s Peacock is still making losses, and Apple TV’s economics are impossible to disentangle from its trillion-dollar parent company’s, but nevertheless the year in general will go down as a milestone.—
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The models disentangle the information related to representing a person’s identity from the information about motion so that the same motion can be mapped to different identities, or the same identity can have multiple types of motions.—
Verb
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Ask The Post’s journalists Our reporters and editors answer your questions.—
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There was no judgment, no riddle to be answered or trial needing to be passed.—
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.—
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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.—
Verb
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During the recent supply-chain crisis, XPO helped unsnarl bottlenecks for customers in several industries.—
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Construction is beginning on a major railroad project on Chicago’s South Side that officials hope will unsnarl a key freight rail choke point, boost Metra service and improve conditions for drivers, pedestrians and residents in the area.—
Cite this Entry
“Unravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unravel. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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