Disentangle

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  disentangle \dis`en*tan"gle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
     {Disentangled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Disentangling}.]
     1. To free from entanglement; to release from a condition of
        being intricately and confusedly involved or interlaced;
        to reduce to orderly arrangement; to straighten out; as,
        to disentangle a skein of yarn.


        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To extricate from complication and perplexity; disengage
        from embarrassing connection or intermixture; to
        disembroil; to set free; to separate.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              To disentangle truth from error.      --Stewart.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              To extricate and disentangle themselves out of this
              labyrinth.                            --Clarendon.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A mind free and disentangled from all corporeal
              mixtures.                             --Bp.
                                                    Stillingfleet.
  
     Syn: To loose; extricate; disembarrass; disembroil; clear;
          evolve; disengage; separate; detach.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  disentangle
       v 1: release from entanglement of difficulty; "I cannot extricate
            myself from this task" [syn: {extricate}, {untangle}, {disencumber}]
       2: extricate from entanglement; "Can you disentangle the cord?"
          [syn: {unsnarl}, {straighten out}] [ant: {entangle}, {entangle}]
       3: free from involvement or entanglement; "How can I
          disentangle myself from her personal affiars?" [syn: {disinvolve},
           {disembroil}]
       4: separate the tangles of [syn: {unwind}]
       5: smoothen and neaten with or as with a comb; "comb your hair
          before dinner"; "comb the wool" [syn: {comb}, {comb out}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  133 Moby Thesaurus words for "disentangle":
     answer, avulse, bottom, break loose, break out, clarify, clear,
     clear up, crack, cut loose, cut out, debug, decipher, decode,
     deracinate, detach, dig out, dig up, disburden, disembarrass,
     disembroil, disencumber, disengage, disintricate, disinvolve,
     dislodge, divine, do, dope, dope out, draw, draw out, dredge,
     dredge up, eradicate, evolve, evulse, excavate, excise, explain,
     exsect, extend, extract, extricate, fathom, figure out, find out,
     find the answer, find the solution, flatten, free, free up, get,
     get out, get right, gouge out, grub up, guess, guess right,
     have it, hit it, interpret, liberate, make out, mine,
     open the lock, part, pick out, pluck out, pluck up, plumb, psych,
     psych out, pull, pull out, pull up, put straight, puzzle out,
     quarry, rake out, ravel, ravel out, rectify, release, remove,
     resolve, riddle, rip out, root out, root up, separate,
     set straight, sever, sit up, smooth, solve, sort out, stand up,
     straighten, straighten out, straighten up, sunder, take out,
     tear loose, tear out, unbend, unbraid, unclutter, uncoil, uncurl,
     undo, unearth, unkink, unknot, unlock, unmix, unravel, unriddle,
     unscramble, unsnarl, untangle, unthread, untie, untwine, untwist,
     unweave, unwind, uproot, weed out, withdraw, work, work out,
     wrest out