Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To separate the intertwined threads or fibers of something; to untangle or undo by pulling apart. This refers to the physical act of disentangling a knotted or woven material.
   • To solve or clarify something complicated or mysterious. This figurative meaning refers to making a complex problem, mystery, or situation clear and understandable.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To become separated into threads; to come apart or become undone. This describes the process where a fabric or material disintegrates or frays on its own.
   • To become solved or clarified. This describes the process by which a complex situation resolves itself or becomes clear.

Usage Examples

• Verb (transitive):
  • She carefully tried to unravel the knot in her necklace chain.
  • The detective worked tirelessly to unravel the complex plot.
• Verb (intransitive):
  • The hem of the old sweater began to unravel after many washes.
  • As the investigation continued, the truth slowly started to unravel.

Advanced Usage

• "to unravel before one's eyes": to disintegrate or fall apart visibly and often rapidly.
  • The carefully laid plans began to unravel before their eyes when the main speaker canceled.
• Used in contexts of systems, plans, or mental states coming apart.
  • The political alliance started to unravel after the scandal.

Variants and Related Words

• Unraveled/Unravelled (adj): The past tense and past participle form. Also used as an adjective meaning "having become undone or solved."
  • The unraveled thread lay on the table.
  • The mystery remained unraveled for decades.
• Unraveling/Unravelling (n/adj): The present participle/gerund form. Also used as a noun meaning "the process of coming apart or being solved."
  • The unraveling of the conspiracy took years.

Synonyms

• Disentangle: To free from tangles or complications.
• Unwind: To undo something that is wound (often more gradual).
• Decipher: To succeed in understanding or interpreting something obscure.
• Solve: To find an answer to a problem or mystery.
• Fray: To become worn at the edge, typically of fabric (similar to intransitive sense).

Antonyms

• Entangle: To cause to become twisted together or caught in a snarl.
• Complicate: To make something more complex or difficult.
• Knot: To tie in or with a knot.
• Weave: To form fabric by interlacing threads.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Idioms

(Note: "Unravel" itself is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meanings are contained within the single word.) - "The plot thickens/thins": An idiom describing a story becoming more or less complex, related to the process of unraveling a mystery. - "Come apart at the seams": An idiom meaning to fall into disorder or collapse, similar to the intransitive meaning of "unravel."

Verb

1. become undone
   • the sweater unraveled
2. disentangle
   • can you unravel the mystery?
3. become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers or threads of
   • unravel the thread