This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
unravel
[ uhn-rav-uhl ]
/ ʌnˈræv əl /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object), un·rav·eled, un·rav·el·ing or (especially British) un·rav·elled, un·rav·el·ling.
to separate or disentangle the threads of (a woven or knitted fabric, a rope, etc.).
to free from complication or difficulty; make plain or clear; solve: to unravel a situation; to unravel a mystery.
Informal. to take apart; undo; destroy (a plan, agreement, or arrangement).
verb (used without object), un·rav·eled, un·rav·el·ing or (especially British) un·rav·elled, un·rav·el·ling.
to become unraveled.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
OTHER WORDS FROM unravel
un·rav·el·er; especially British, un·rav·el·ler, nounun·rav·el·ment, nounWords nearby unravel
unquestioning, unquiet, unquote, unraped, unrated, unravel, unreactive, unread, unreadable, unready, unreal
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use unravel in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for unravel
unravel
/ (ʌnˈrævəl) /
verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled
(tr) to reduce (something knitted or woven) to separate strands
(tr) to undo or untangle (something tangled or knotted)
(tr) to explain or solvethe mystery was unravelled
(intr) to become unravelled
Derived forms of unravel
unraveller, noununravelment, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012