What does "unravel" mean?
To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle.
Unravel
/(ˌ)ʌnˈɹævl̩/ verb
verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle.
- Grammar: unravel is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: untangle, account for, allegorize, answer.
- Useful contrasts: interlaced, interlaced plot, intertwined.
- Usage evidence: Who shall ever unravel the mysteries of the sea?
How to use "unravel"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "unravel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "unravel" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "unravel" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "unravel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "unravel" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "untangle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "unravel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle. transitive
"Mother couldn’t unravel the ball of wool after the cat had played with it."
- 2 become undone wordnet
- 3 To separate the threads of (something knitted or woven, such as clothing or fabric). transitive
"Stop playing with the seam of the tablecloth! You’ll unravel it."
- 4 become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers or threads of wordnet
- 5 To separate the connected or united parts of (something); to throw (something) into disorder; to confound, to confuse, to disintegrate. figuratively, transitive
"to unravel the broad consensus which was created"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 disentangle wordnet
- 7 To clear (something) from complication or difficulty; to investigate and solve (a mystery, a problem, etc.); to disentangle, to unfold, to work out. also, figuratively, reflexive, transitive
"to unravel the confusion to unravel a plot"
- 8 To reverse or undo (something); to annul, to negate. figuratively, obsolete, transitive
"For everie time thou admitſt mee after, to thy / Pillovv, I'le ſtrike of an hundred pound, / Till all the debts be unravel'd: […]"
- 9 To become no longer ravelled or tangled. intransitive
- 10 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. intransitive
"[C]onſider him as a King, and what favours hath he beſtowed on his Subjects! and then, that his curteſies might not unravell or fret out, hath bound them with a ſtrong border and a rich fringe, a Triennial Parliament."
- 11 Of a thing: to have its connected or united parts separated; to be thrown into disorder; to become confused or undone; to collapse. figuratively, intransitive
"[W]hen men doe not iſhue out of a danger by a doore of Gods opening unto them, but breake through the vvall, (as Jerome by perjury) by violent and unvvarrantable vvayes, their minds are daily haunted vvith ſcruples and perplexities, even ſometimes to dolefull diſtraction; beſides, ſuch eſcapes never grovv proſperous, rather eaſing than curing, and the comfort got by them unraueleth againe, as it hapned in Jerome of Prague."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Who shall ever unravel the mysteries of the sea?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "unravel"?
Common synonyms include: untangle, account for, allegorize, answer, avulse, bottom.
How do you use "unravel" in a sentence?
Who shall ever unravel the mysteries of the sea?
How do you pronounce "unravel"?
Pronounced /(ˌ)ʌnˈɹævl̩/.
Etymology
PIE word *h₂énti From un- (suffix denoting the inverse of the specified action) + ravel. cognates * Dutch ontrafelen (“to unravel”)