Meaning

To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle..

Definitions by Sense

1. To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle.
2. To separate the threads of (something knitted or woven, such as clothing or fabric).
3. To separate the connected or united parts of (something); to throw (something) into disorder; to confound, to confuse, to disintegrate.
4. To clear (something) from complication or difficulty; to investigate and solve (a mystery, a problem, etc.); to disentangle, to unfold, to work out.
5. To reverse or undo (something); to annul, to negate.
6. To become no longer ravelled or tangled.
7. Of threads: to become separated from something knitted or woven, such as clothing or fabric; also, of something knitted or woven: to separate into threads; to come apart.
8. Of a thing: to have its connected or united parts separated; to be thrown into disorder; to become confused or undone; to collapse.

Example Sentences

Mother couldn’t unravel the ball of wool after the cat had played with it.

[S]he taking as the watchword of his true patience, vnraueld the bottome [i.e., ball of thread] of her frailtie at length, […]

So by thine offspring may repose be found, / As thou unravelest (thus to him I pray) / The knot in which my intellect is bound.

He was only aware that everything was over, that with a few words he had broken his life into small pieces. Too impatient to unravel the tangled knot, he had cut it, and nothing could mend it now.

Stop playing with the seam of the tablecloth! You’ll unravel it.

[B]e not like her who unravelleth into strands the thread which she had strongly spun, by taking your oaths with mutual perfidy.

to unravel the broad consensus which was created

to unravel the compromise achieved in the treaty

Word Forms

• unravels
• unraveling
• unravelling
• unraveled
• unravelled
• no-table-tags
• glossary
• unravel
• unravellest
• unravelest
• unravelledst
• unraveledst
• unravelleth
• unraveleth
• -

Synonyms for unravel

Antonyms for unravel

Related Words

When Should You Use Unravel?

Use unravel when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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