1
as in unraveling
to separate the various strands of
gently untangled the baby's hair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freeing
to set free from entanglement or difficulty
I was finally able to untangle myself from my credit problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of untangling
With this storage bag, there’ll be no more digging through drawers or untangling ribbons.
—
Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
The album was heralded as Lorde’s most personal project to date, with the singer examining and untangling gender roles, body image issues and her sexuality.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2025
The unique energy coming off Dickinson in the role seems to have been hard-earned — a result of his years spent tying the knots of his own masculinity and then eventually untangling them.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
The show, so far, has emphasized a clear-eyed approach to its subjects’ misdeeds, but also curiosity about untangling their psyches.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
With the help of resourceful Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente), Bourne evades capture from the CIA — namely data analyst Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and Deputy Director Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) — while untangling his involvement in the deadly Operation Treadstone.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2025
For Glessner Lee, the puzzle of untangling the truth about violent deaths proved irresistible.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2025
Many modern and contemporary writers are drawn to the villanelle as a way to circle around their subject matter, exploring obsession, enchantment, brooding, or the slow work of untangling a difficult emotion.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 19 Aug. 2025
The challenges of untangling dementia Dementia is a major noncommunicable disease that is a leading cause of death around the world.
—Anand Kumar, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2025
Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
The album was heralded as Lorde’s most personal project to date, with the singer examining and untangling gender roles, body image issues and her sexuality.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2025
The unique energy coming off Dickinson in the role seems to have been hard-earned — a result of his years spent tying the knots of his own masculinity and then eventually untangling them.
—Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
The show, so far, has emphasized a clear-eyed approach to its subjects’ misdeeds, but also curiosity about untangling their psyches.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
With the help of resourceful Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente), Bourne evades capture from the CIA — namely data analyst Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and Deputy Director Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) — while untangling his involvement in the deadly Operation Treadstone.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2025
For Glessner Lee, the puzzle of untangling the truth about violent deaths proved irresistible.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2025
Many modern and contemporary writers are drawn to the villanelle as a way to circle around their subject matter, exploring obsession, enchantment, brooding, or the slow work of untangling a difficult emotion.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 19 Aug. 2025
The challenges of untangling dementia Dementia is a major noncommunicable disease that is a leading cause of death around the world.
—Anand Kumar, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untangling
Verb
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If Hamas doesn't disarm—or Israel resumes its bombings of Gaza—the entire peace plan risks unraveling.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Everything at work suddenly seems to be unraveling, especially with annoying Douglas blowing bubbles everywhere and distracting Doris when Ron’s trying to get footage to document her hip problem and the risk of an unsafe chair.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas began Monday, with Hamas releasing the final 20 living hostages in exchange for Israel freeing 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.—
Morgan Phillips,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Israel responded by freeing over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, prompting emotional scenes in Ramallah and Gaza.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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Experts at Sweetbriar said the effort was not just about saving one insect but also about raising awareness.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Making guardedness and affable self-deprecation part of her identity, Keaton was known for wearing turtlenecks, gloves, and hats that kept her largely covered up, saving emotional vulnerability for her performances.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But liberating humans from work would also mean liberating them from their paychecks.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
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Blazy’s new silhouette for the house achieved exactly that by anchoring the form at the hips, liberating the upper body and waist, while enabling the skirts to emphasize the length of the leg and the amplitude of each step.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Untangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untangling. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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