unravel
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unravel
- /(ˌ)ʌnˈɹævəl/ UK
- /(ˌ)ʌnˈɹavəl/ British, Scotland, Southern
- /(ˌ)ʊnˈɹavəl/ Northern England
- /ˌʌnˈɹævəl/ US
- /ˌɐnˈɹævəl/ Australia
- /ˌɐnˈɹɛvəl/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -ævəl
Where it comes from
PIE word
*h₂énti
From un- (suffix denoting the inverse of the specified action) + ravel.
cognates
* Dutch ontrafelen (“to unravel”)
verb unravels · unraveling · unravelling · unraveled · unravelled
-
To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle.
Mother couldn’t unravel the ball of wool after the cat had played with it.
Similar: unsnarl, disentangle, feeze, tease out, unravel, untangle · Opposite: ravel
- To separate the threads of (something knitted or woven, such as clothing or fabric). Stop playing with the seam of the tablecloth! You’ll unravel it.
- To separate the connected or united parts of (something); to throw (something) into disorder; to confound, to confuse, to disintegrate. to unravel the broad consensus which was created
-
To clear (something) from complication or difficulty; to investigate and solve (a mystery, a problem, etc.); to disentangle, to unfold, to work out.
to unravel the confusion
Similar: ravel, unpuzzle, unriddle, straighten out, absolve, decipher, get to the bottom of, iron out, meliorate, cure, puzzle out, reason out · Opposite: ravel
- To reverse or undo (something); to annul, to negate. For everie time thou admitſt mee after, to thy / Pillovv, I'le ſtrike of an hundred pound, / Till all the debts be unravel'd: […]
- To become no longer ravelled or tangled.
-
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.
[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.
Similar: come undone, ravel · Opposite: ravel
- Of a thing: to have its connected or united parts separated; to be thrown into disorder; to become confused or undone; to collapse. [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
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: unpick, untangle, run, ravel, unscramble, unknot, ravel out, untie, disentangle, dismantle, dispel, disband, dismantling, dispose, disintegrate, undo
Translations
Every language
verb (transitive) to cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; (intransitive) to become no longer ravelled or tangled
| Italiano | districare |
|---|---|
| Русский | распу́тывать raspútyvatʹ, распу́тать raspútatʹ |
verb (transitive) to separate the threads of (something knitted or woven)
| Español | desenmarañar, desenredar, deshilar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 解く hodoku, ほぐす hogusu, 解く toku |
| 中文 | 解開 /解开 jiěkāi, 繹 /绎 yì |
| Português | desemaranhar |
| Français | démêler, dénouer, effiler |
| Deutsch | aufdröseln, auftrennen, auseinanderdröseln, entwirren |
| Italiano | districare, sfilacciare, smagliare, strigare |
| Română | deșira, destrăma |
| Русский | распу́тывать raspútyvatʹ, распу́тать raspútatʹ |
verb (transitive) to separate the connected or united parts of (something); to throw (something) into disorder — see also confound, confuse
| Deutsch | auftrennen, ausfasern, zerfasern |
|---|
verb (transitive) to clear (something) from complication or difficulty; to investigate and solve (a mystery, a problem, etc.) — see also unfold, work out
| 中文 | 解開 /解开 jiěkāi |
|---|---|
| Français | démêler, dénouer, résoudre |
| Deutsch | auflösen, enthüllen, enträtseln, lösen, offenlegen |
| Русский | распу́тывать raspútyvatʹ, распу́тать raspútatʹ |
verb (intransitive) of threads: to become separated from something knitted or woven
| Français | s’effiler, s’effilocher, se défaire |
|---|---|
| Русский | распу́тываться raspútyvatʹsja, распу́таться raspútatʹsja |
verb (intransitive) of a thing: to have its connected or united parts separated; to be thrown into disorder; to become confused or undone — see also collapse
| Português | desfazer-se |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | einstürzen, kollabieren, vernichtet werden, zugrundegehen, zunichte gemacht werden, zusammenbrechen |
| Italiano | disfare |
Talk about this word "unravel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/unravel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. unravel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/unravel "unravel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/unravel.Cite this
@misc{unravel_2026,
title = {unravel},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/unravel},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
