unravel
verb
un·rav·el
ˌən-ˈra-vəl 
unraveled; unraveling; unravels
1
a
: to disengage or separate the threads of : disentangle
b
: to cause to come apart by or as if by separating the threads of
2
: to resolve the intricacy, complexity, or obscurity of : clear up
unravel a mystery
: to become unraveled
Synonyms
Examples of unravel in a Sentence
Scientists are still unraveling the secrets of DNA.
Their plans unraveled when she lost her job.
His frequent absences from home caused his marriage to unravel.
I feel like my life is unraveling.
Recent Examples on the Web
This was after Roberts walked to the mound in the eighth inning Sunday, after reliever Yohan Ramirez had hit two Cincinnati Reds and was just about to unravel.
—
Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 30 May 2024
Scandals erode faith in the ANC But sometime in the years since, the family’s optimism began to unravel.
—Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 May 2024
Over the past decade, public pressure and a series of court rulings — not to mention the reality that college athletics generated billions of dollars in annual revenue and that athletes received none of it — have forced the N.C.A.A. to unravel restrictions on player compensation.
—Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 25 May 2024
However, a study published last week in the journal Nature used the genomes of each baobab species to unravel the tree’s ancient origins, instead tracing its lineage to Madagascar 21 million years ago.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for unravel 
Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 30 May 2024
Scandals erode faith in the ANC But sometime in the years since, the family’s optimism began to unravel.
—Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 May 2024
Over the past decade, public pressure and a series of court rulings — not to mention the reality that college athletics generated billions of dollars in annual revenue and that athletes received none of it — have forced the N.C.A.A. to unravel restrictions on player compensation.
—Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 25 May 2024
However, a study published last week in the journal Nature used the genomes of each baobab species to unravel the tree’s ancient origins, instead tracing its lineage to Madagascar 21 million years ago.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for unravel
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unravel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near unravel
Cite this Entry
“Unravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unravel. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unravel
verb
un·rav·el
ˌən-ˈrav-əl
ˈən-
1
: to separate the threads of : disentangle
unravel a snarl
2
: solve
unravel a mystery
3
: to become unraveled
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