unravel
Solve the mystery
To unravel is to separate threads that have been woven or twisted together—pulling apart a knitted sweater, for instance.
By extension, unravel means to come apart or fall into disorder: The peace deal unraveled within weeks.
It also means to solve or explain something complex: Detectives worked to unravel the conspiracy.
These uses seem opposite but share the idea of undoing what was previously bound together.
Fiber for stitching
- yarnTwisted strand for crafts
- knotTied rope fastening
- fiberPlant-based digestive aid
- strandThin fiber piece
weave · tangle · seam · stitch · fraying · snarl · skein · braid
Make known publicly
- uncoverReveal what's hidden
- discoverFind something unknown
- discloseReveal hidden information
- unveilReveal something hidden
illuminate · clarify · elucidate · understand · comprehend · insight · realization · epiphany
Something unexplained or unknown
- puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity
- clueSolving aid
- enigmaSomething hard to fathom
- riddlePuzzling question to solve
secret · code · cipher · conspiracy · deception · conundrum · whodunit · detective
thread
Fiber for stitching
strand · weave · tangle · seam · stitch · fraying · snarl · skein · braid · cord
expose
Make known publicly
unveil · illuminate · clarify · elucidate · understand · comprehend · insight · realization · epiphany · truth
mystery
Something unexplained or unknown
riddle · secret · code · cipher · conspiracy · deception · conundrum · whodunit · detective · sleuth
disintegrate
Break into fragments
- crumbleFragment gradually
- deteriorateGrow worse over time
- fragmentIncomplete portion of whole
fray · decay · erode · decompose · wither · destabilize · implode · dissolve · fracture · splinter
- U-wordsugly, ultimate, ultra, umbrella, unable
- coming apartfraying, falling apart, coming undone, disintegration, unweaving
- Deconstructionteardown, deconstruction, dismantling, disassembly, take apart
- communicateexpress, convey, communicate, tell, share
- puzzlespuzzles, sudoku, jigsaw puzzle, puzzle cube, crossword
- chaosmayhem, chaotic, pandemonium, bedlam, turmoil
unravelhold together
Remain unified, not fragment
cohere · stabilize · come together · unite · bind
unraveling, unraveled, unravels, unravelled, unravelling, unraveller, unravellings, unraveler