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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

unravel

English answer:

come apart..break up..break down

Added to glossary by airmailrpl
Jul 22, 2014 20:04
9 yrs ago
9 viewers *
English term

unravel

Non-PRO English Other Other general question
the literal sense is to untangle, or untie, a knot, but what does it mean exactly
when it comes to a person, or someone's life?
I understand it as meaning fall apart, breakdown
Responses
4 +2 come apart..break up..break down
4 +1 collapse, fail
Change log

Sep 4, 2014 10:42: airmailrpl Created KOG entry

Discussion

Peter Simon Jul 23, 2014:
Terry A lot of speculation would be spared if you gave us more context. I for ex. could add to my own suggestion that various kinds of meanings can come into the mix with sentences of the 'his team quickly unravelled his plans in the face of reality' kind, when 'failed' or 'came apart' or 'broke up' would not work as synonyms, whereas with 'his immune system unravelled fast' or 'all his ideas for solutions unravelled', sg like these would work. So, transitive, or intr., etc.?

Responses

+2
4 hrs
Selected

come apart..break up..break down

unravel when it comes to a person, or someone's life? => come apart..break up..break down
Peer comment(s):
agree Tina Vonhof (X)
2 hrs
thank you
agree Yvonne Gallagher : still no extra context but this IS what it normally means
42 days
thank you
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
24 mins

collapse, fail

As it also means 'begin to fail or collapse' (Apple/Mac dict.) in connection with things as well, you are right with a person's falling apart or break down, as also shown under the thesaurus part of the free dict. and the Oxford d.
Reference:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english-thesaurus/unravel

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/unravel

Peer comment(s):
neutral Cilian O'Tuama : We'd really need to see how it's being used in a sentence/paragraph... Is it transitive or intransitive? Can mean anything from "solve" to "fall apart", and maybe beyond...
34 mins
Yes, context-dependent, but this was a likely meaning
agree Jack Doughty
1 hr
Thanks, Jack
Something went wrong...
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