UNRAVELED Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

unraveled

verb

past tense of unravel

as in frayed

to separate the various strands of it took us forever to unravel the jumbled mass of Christmas tree lights

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in solved

to find an answer for through reasoning unraveled the mystery

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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 unraveled Later on Saturday, Pezeshkian called on state TV for a revival of the interim deal, which was signed on June 17 but quickly unraveled amid disagreements over what had been agreed, especially on the status of the Strait of Hormuz. — Reuters, NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026 As curators unraveled the truth behind the images, the album soon made headlines and ignited a debate that reverberated far beyond the museum walls. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026 Sumrall preaches discipline and accountability, two qualities sorely lacking as the tenures of Dan Mullen and Billy Napier unraveled. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026 While nearly 30 players were given the ball cap and figurative clipboard to watch from the sidelines, key position battles unraveled in the desert in the team’s win. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2026 Court and bankruptcy records reviewed by IndieWire show the effort unraveled barely a year later amid a dispute over the building’s condition and the cost of repairs. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026 In any other universe, this year’s Indiana Fever would’ve unraveled by now. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Defensive tackle Brendan Bett is best known for his spit work against USF in the loss that unraveled Florida’s season, but his three sacks were the third-most of any Gator last year. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026 Not the kind of sweeping severe weather that prompts airlines to offer travel waivers nor wide-scale issues like labor strikes, IT problems or government shutdowns, which have unraveled countless plans in recent months. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unraveled

Verb

As the latest iteration of her signature red tresses, these braids are just like the songs on her latest studio album, Blue Island—frayed, perfectly tousled, and free-flowing.

— Sidney Madden, VIBE.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Reconstituting the bilateral bond between the two countries, now frayed by more than a year of threats and punitive measures, will not happen overnight.

— Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of frayed

Verb

The Athletic’s Jacob Whitehead, Oliver Kay, Cerys Jones, Conor O’Neill, Nick Miller and Sebastian Stafford-Bloor have taken a look at the window and answered a series of questions.

— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Choose the few recurring decisions where the stakes are highest—often hiring, promotion and capital allocation—and require the four lenses to be answered before the decision closes.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of answered

Verb

Systems have to be disentangled, employees moved, contracts rewritten, and corporate functions recreated.

— Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
To pretend that a cover is merely incidental is to ignore how much of literature is extraliterary, as if consciousness can be easily disentangled from the body.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of disentangled

Verb

If those challenges can be resolved, the 200-MWe concept could become an important test of how fusion technology moves into conventional US power infrastructure.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Acting on an emergency appeal from the administration, the court ruled 5-4 that a federal judge wrongly paused the project until a legal fight could be resolved.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of resolved

Verb

Missteps by the opposition also smoothed the path for the party’s ultimate takeover of the state.

— Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026
Over the course of a month, our testers smoothed these lotions all over their body, taking notes on ingredients, texture, and efficacy in addressing their skin concerns.

— Mary Honkus, Glamour, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of smoothed

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unravel

unraveled

unraveling

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“Unraveled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unraveled. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unraveled

verb

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