Synonyms

untangle

American

[uhn-tang-guhl] / ʌnˈtæŋ gəl /

verb (used with object)

to bring out of a tangled state; disentangle; unsnarl.
to straighten out or clear up (anything confused or perplexing).

untangle British

/ ʌnˈtæŋɡəl /

verb

to free from a tangled condition
to free from perplexity or confusion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Present

Past

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Etymology

Origin of untangle

First recorded in 1540–50; un- ² + tangle ¹

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.

No need to untangle the complex hypocrisy here — it’s all laid out in arrows and diagrams.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026

Years of additional legal proceedings have yet to untangle who is to blame.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

To untangle these possibilities, we need much larger comparative datasets of lesions in wild primates, only then can we begin to trace broader patterns and refine our interpretations of the fossil record.

From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026

Mercifully, Aviv has bravely attempted to untangle the mother-daughter dynamic and bring it into the light.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

He was fussing around, tucking the furs into place, tightening the tension rope across the body of the sledge, running the traces through his hands to untangle them.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023