ravel
Disentangle or tangle
To ravel is to tangle or become tangled—threads, nerves, or situations can all ravel into knots.
Confusingly, ravel also means the opposite: to separate threads by pulling them apart, to unweave or fray.
Context usually clarifies which direction the tangling goes: The sweater's cuff had raveled at the edges.
The word appears more often with prefixes—unravel carries the "come apart" sense while rarely-used enravel emphasizes tangling. (Capitalized Ravel is the French composer.)
Hostile vocal threat
- knotTied rope fastening
- tangleTwisted mass of strands
- entangleTwist into confusion
- enmeshCatch in interwoven strands
mat · snag · kink · twist · coil · mesh · intertwine · entwine
Free from snarls
- untangleUndo knots or confusion
- unwindRelease accumulated tension
- unsnarlRemove tangles from
- unknotRemove a tangle
loosen · fray · unweave · unbraid · unpick · separate · tease · comb
Fiber for stitching
Intricate passage network
- mazePuzzle of passages
- webInterwoven filament structure
- networkInterconnected system
- intricacyState of elaborate complexity
convolution · complication · knotty · tangled · serpentine · byzantine · tortuous · convoluted
snarl
Hostile vocal threat
enmesh · mat · snag · kink · twist · coil · mesh · intertwine · entwine · interlace
disentangle
Free from snarls
unknot · loosen · fray · unweave · unbraid · unpick · separate · tease · comb · card
thread
Fiber for stitching
filament · weave · weft · warp · fabric · cloth · knit · stitch · seam · hem
labyrinth
Intricate passage network
intricacy · convolution · complication · knotty · tangled · serpentine · byzantine · tortuous · convoluted · elaborate
raveluntangle
Undo knots or confusion
disentangle · unravel · unknot · unsnarl · straighten
unravel, unraveled, ravels, ravelled, ravelling, raveled, raveling, unravelling