Synonyms of unravel

unravel

verb

ˌən-ˈra-vəl 

1

as in to fray

to separate the various strands of

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fray
• untangle
• disentangle
• untwist
• unsnarl
• undo
• unweave
• smooth
• ravel (out)
• untwine
• unbraid
• fret
• unlay
• unwind
• straighten (out)
• unroll
• untie
• uncoil
• unlace
• unknot
• unthread
• unstring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• entangle
• snarl
• tie
• knot
• tangle
• wind
• ply
• braid
• splice
• lace
• plait

2

as in to solve

to find an answer for through reasoning

unraveled the mystery

Synonyms & Similar Words

• solve
• resolve
• answer
• decipher
• work
• figure out
• work out
• conclude
• crack
• unriddle
• decide
• break
• gather
• deduce
• puzzle (out)
• riddle (out)
• infer
• dope (out)
• untangle
• guess
• judge
• speculate
• reason
• straighten (out)
• clear (up)
• untie
• assume
• presume
• divine
• unscramble
• conjecture
• decode
• iron out

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of unravel

This year's prizes began with the Nobel for medicine, awarded Monday to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works. — Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026

The knitting process is portable and easy, but the structure also means a tug on one loose end can quickly unravel the whole project. — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026

Unless Smith gets hurt or the season unravels enough to prompt a quarterback change, Klubnik will likely spend his rookie year learning behind the veteran. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

After his mother’s death in 1990, Cooper’s relationship with his father unraveled, and he was soon drawn to the music he’d been taught to avoid. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 8 Oct. 2026