unravel

American  

[uhn-rav-uhl] / ʌnˈræv əl /

verb (used with object)

unraveled, unraveling, unravelled, unravelling

1. to separate or disentangle the threads of (a woven or knitted fabric, a rope, etc.).

2. to free from complication or difficulty; make plain or clear; solve.

   to unravel a situation; to unravel a mystery.

3. Informal. to take apart; undo; destroy (a plan, agreement, or arrangement).

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verb (used without object)

unraveled, unraveling, unravelled, unravelling

1. to become unraveled.

unravel British  

/ ʌnˈrævəl /

verb

1. (tr) to reduce (something knitted or woven) to separate strands

2. (tr) to undo or untangle (something tangled or knotted)

3. (tr) to explain or solve

   the mystery was unravelled

4. (intr) to become unravelled

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Other Word Forms

• unraveler noun
• unraveller noun
• unravelment noun

Etymology

Origin of unravel

First recorded in 1595–1605; un- ² + ravel

Example Sentences

Unknown to Carley, the former private school teacher's dishonesty started to unravel at a drizzly Remembrance Day parade in Llandudno in 2024 – a year before he would be outed in national news.

From BBC

Jimmy Kimmel said he was surprised to win best talk series, before unravelling a comically long written acceptance speech.

From BBC

Understanding this connection could help clarify how diabetes treatments fit into cancer prevention and care, though further research is still needed to unravel the underlying biology.

From Science Daily

Ozempic revealed that a belief once thought broadly accepted had been held together more by pressure than by conviction, only to unravel once honesty felt safer.

From The Wall Street Journal

Facing an unraveling marriage, a middle-aged lawyer sets off on a road trip in the hopes of rediscovering his life’s meaning.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• decipher
• resolve
• solve
• undo
• untangle