DISENTANGLING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

disentangling

verb

present participle of disentangle

as in unraveling

to separate the various strands of it took forever to disentangle the knot

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in freeing

to set free from entanglement or difficulty the years that it took to disentangle ourselves from our troubles after someone started using our social security numbers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of disentangling Cutting Iran off completely from the UAE could deal a serious blow to the Islamic Republic’s economy — but experts say disentangling the pair’s commercial ties could prove difficult. — semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026 New characters and backstory details are dropped in before existing loose ends are tied up, resulting in unclear motivations and convoluted layers of subplot that, ultimately, do not prove relevant enough to have been worth disentangling. — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026 The fundamental goal of the 1787 Constitution was to establish a republican form of government — and that meant disentangling the traditional powers of the monarch and placing them in different branches of government. — David French, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026 Embedded in a patriarchal family within an oppressive society, Mrie faces the challenge of disentangling herself from both. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026 Our narrator, a gay, happily married father of two disentangling himself from a poly love affair, is—depending on the light—brilliant, self-mythologizing, abject, hopeful, and vulnerable. — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025 Brittany Luse is joined by writer and journalist Ana Marie Cox to get into how people are disentangling alcohol from their lives, and the lessons she's learned as a recovering alcoholic. — Veralyn Williams, NPR, 6 Jan. 2025 Patel has talked about disentangling the FBI’s intelligence-gathering operations — now a core function of the bureau’s mandate — from the rest of its operations. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2024 For conditions like obesity, neurodegenerative disease (like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases), and some psychiatric diseases (like depression), disentangling cause from effect is more challenging. — Keren Landman, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disentangling

Verb

Metalpoint is delicate by comparison with ink, almost weblike; but in both cases, the drawings are unraveling clusters and skeins, with passages both tight and loose.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
In spite of Desiree's civil case unraveling in 2013, public suspicion continued to follow Terri.

— Eileen Murphy, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of unraveling

Verb

These layoffs are freeing up brilliant minds to solve real-world problems, creating new companies and an economy built on innovation beyond consumer apps.

— Lisa Curtis, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Some analysts believe part of the recent selling stems from investors freeing up capital to participate in trading.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of freeing

Verb

As a continent keen on saving, consumer confidence remains positive despite stubbornly high inflation.

— Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
The panels store within the roof rails when driving but expand at camp to deliver up to 600 watts of charging while doubling as an awning, saving space and weight as compared to separate awning and charging systems.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of saving

Verb

And yet, liberating writing from the capitalist ethic has its own value.

— M. C. Mah, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
For Russian propagandists, the Azov Brigade, which began as a nationalist militia, was shorthand for the supposedly fascist influences from which Vladimir Putin claimed to be liberating Ukraine.

— Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of liberating

Verb

Not that extricating supply chains from China is sufficient in today’s nativist political climate.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
After largely extricating itself from Iraq in 2011, the United States had to send troops back in 2014 to fight the Islamic State, or ISIS, which emerged from the post-invasion chaos.

— Michael Fuchs, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of extricating

Verb

Getty Images More than 30 years after releasing its first album, Nickelback is gearing up to drop another full-length, one which has already produced some minor rock hits in America.

— Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Since releasing her first album in 1967, Parton has received a total of 55 Grammy Award nominations, resulting in 10 wins.

— Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of releasing

Verb

The rescuers contacted The Arrow Fund, a Louisville nonprofitdedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animal victims of abuse.

— Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Sep. 2026
Dave Black said searchers used night vision and other equipment to find people who needed rescuing during the deluge.

— Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of rescuing

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disentangles

disentangling

disenthrall

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“Disentangling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disentangling. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of disentangling

verb

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