unravel
Americanverb (used with object)
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to separate or disentangle the threads of (a woven or knitted fabric, a rope, etc.).
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to free from complication or difficulty; make plain or clear; solve.
to unravel a situation; to unravel a mystery.
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Informal. to take apart; undo; destroy (a plan, agreement, or arrangement).
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to reduce (something knitted or woven) to separate strands
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(tr) to undo or untangle (something tangled or knotted)
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(tr) to explain or solve
the mystery was unravelled
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(intr) to become unravelled
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unravelsimple
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unravelssimple
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have unraveledperfect
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have unravelledperfect
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has unraveledperfect
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has unravelledperfect
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am unravelingprogressive
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am unravellingprogressive
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are unravelingprogressive
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are unravellingprogressive
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is unravelingprogressive
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is unravellingprogressive
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have been unravelingperfect progressive
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have been unravellingperfect progressive
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has been unravelingperfect progressive
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has been unravellingperfect progressive
Past
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unraveledsimple
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unravelledsimple
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had unraveledperfect
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had unravelledperfect
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was unravelingprogressive
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was unravellingprogressive
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were unravelingprogressive
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were unravellingprogressive
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had been unravelingperfect progressive
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had been unravellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unravel
Explanation
However tempting, don't pull that straggly thread hanging from your sleeve. You'll just unravel, or totally undo, your hand-knitted sweater. Something that's unraveled has been completely undone, whether it's a spool of thread, some knotty shoelaces, or your mental state after a long and frustrating day. You can also unravel a mystery by picking it apart, untangling the details or just following the trail of clues like a line of string.
Vocabulary lists containing unravel
Power Prefix: un-
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List 11
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many say the idyll began to unravel when New Delhi appointed civil servant Jayanti Ravi to head Auroville in 2021.
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
One of Greenspan’s most enduring legacies at the Fed was the way in which the dour and bespectacled New Yorker helped unravel the central bank’s mystique.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
DC Advisory has seen its European private equity secondaries team unravel in the latest sign of retrenchment in the market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
Gentle vibrations encouraged the particles to interlock and strengthen the material, while stronger vibrations caused the network to unravel.
From Science Daily • Jun. 15, 2026
George tries his best to gently unravel the sheet, to get busy with his part of the rescue, but Lark refuses to budge from her cocoon.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
