DISENTANGLING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

disentangling

verb

present participle of disentangle

as in unraveling

to separate the various strands of it took forever to disentangle the knot

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in freeing

to set free from entanglement or difficulty the years that it took to disentangle ourselves from our troubles after someone started using our social security numbers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 disentangling Cutting Iran off completely from the UAE could deal a serious blow to the Islamic Republic’s economy — but experts say disentangling the pair’s commercial ties could prove difficult. — semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026 New characters and backstory details are dropped in before existing loose ends are tied up, resulting in unclear motivations and convoluted layers of subplot that, ultimately, do not prove relevant enough to have been worth disentangling. — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026 The fundamental goal of the 1787 Constitution was to establish a republican form of government — and that meant disentangling the traditional powers of the monarch and placing them in different branches of government. — David French, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026 Embedded in a patriarchal family within an oppressive society, Mrie faces the challenge of disentangling herself from both. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026 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, 8 Sep. 2025 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 Patel has talked about disentangling the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations — now a core function of the bureau’s mandate — from the rest of its operations. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2024 For conditions like obesity, neurodegenerative disease (like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases), and some psychiatric diseases (like depression), disentangling cause from effect is more challenging. — Keren Landman, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disentangling

Verb

Terrill pointed to the purchase of the Grass Campus as the pivotal decision in the federation’s unraveling.

— Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
Even so, Sepahvand, now director at Daric Investment Group, said Iran's economy is indeed deteriorating under the weight of mounting sanctions — but far from unraveling.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of unraveling

Verb

These layoffs are freeing up brilliant minds to solve real-world problems, creating new companies and an economy built on innovation beyond consumer apps.

— Lisa Curtis, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Some analysts believe part of the recent selling stems from investors freeing up capital to participate in trading.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of freeing

Verb

Parton invested time and money in causes that were important to her, including funding college tuition and saving bald eagles.

— Maggie Penman, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Insider tip Guests can check the availability of washing machines and the public bath right from the TV in each room, saving a trip downstairs or a call to the front desk.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of saving

Verb

And yet, liberating writing from the capitalist ethic has its own value.

— M. C. Mah, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
For Russian propagandists, the Azov Brigade, which began as a nationalist militia, was shorthand for the supposedly fascist influences from which Vladimir Putin claimed to be liberating Ukraine.

— Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of liberating

Verb

Not that extricating supply chains from China is sufficient in today’s nativist political climate.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
After largely extricating itself from Iraq in 2011, the United States had to send troops back in 2014 to fight the Islamic State, or ISIS, which emerged from the post-invasion chaos.

— Michael Fuchs, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of extricating

Verb

Getty Images More than 30 years after releasing its first album, Nickelback is gearing up to drop another full-length, one which has already produced some minor rock hits in America.

— Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Since releasing her first album in 1967, Parton has received a total of 55 Grammy Award nominations, resulting in 10 wins.

— Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of releasing

Verb

Israel has been training and deploying its own dogs for military combat while simultaneously rescuing dogs from the Gaza Strip in humanitarian missions and finding them new Israeli homes.

— Irus Braverman, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2026
Firefighters did not say if anyone needed rescuing from their vehicles.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of rescuing

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disentangles

disentangling

disenthrall

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“Disentangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangling. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of disentangling

verb

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