Synonyms of disentangling

disentangling

verb

present participle of disentangle

1

as in unraveling

to separate the various strands of

it took forever to disentangle the knot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unraveling
• untangling
• untwisting
• unweaving
• unbraiding
• raveling (out)
• fraying
• untwining
• unlaying
• unsnarling
• smoothing
• undoing
• unwinding
• unrolling
• untying
• straightening (out)
• unknotting
• fretting
• uncoiling
• unlacing
• unthreading
• unstringing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• entangling
• snarling
• tangling
• tying
• winding
• plying
• braiding
• splicing
• knotting
• lacing
• plaiting

2

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• freeing
• saving
• untangling
• liberating
• extricating
• releasing
• rescuing
• redeeming
• disengaging
• cutting loose
• clearing
• disembarrassing
• delivering
• unraveling
• unburdening
• untying
• disencumbering
• disburdening
• untwining
• unsnarling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• entangling
• blocking
• impeding
• hindering
• hampering
• obstructing
• weighing
• embroiling
• loading
• burdening
• encumbering

Example Sentences

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