Added 9 October 2026
unravel
/(ˌ)ʌnˈɹævəl/ verb
In Latin: exfilo Wiktionary
verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about unravel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle.
Mother couldn’t unravel the ball of wool after the cat had played with it.
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To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle.
Mother couldn’t unravel the ball of wool after the cat had played with it.
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To separate the threads of (something knitted or woven, such as clothing or fabric).
Stop playing with the seam of the tablecloth! You’ll unravel it.
Origin
PIE word *h₂énti From un- (suffix denoting the inverse of the specified action) + ravel. cognates * Dutch ontrafelen (“to unravel”)
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)