unscramble

[ uhn-skram-buhl ]

verb (used with object)

, un·scram·bled, un·scram·bling.

1. to bring out of a scrambled condition; reduce to order or intelligibility.
2. Also to make (a scrambled radio or telephonic message) comprehensible by systematically tuning the receiver to the frequencies used in transmission. Compare decode ( def 2 ).

unscramble

/ ʌnˈskræmbəl /

verb

1. to resolve from confusion or disorderliness
2. to restore (a scrambled message) to an intelligible form

Derived Forms

• unˈscrambler, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unscramble¹

First recorded in 1915–20; un- ² + scramble

Example Sentences

And at this point, it may not be possible as a practical matter to unscramble the eggs.

From Los Angeles Times

"If you think of colonies of microbes as crowded parties with lots of people talking, our current experiments can only record the sound, but we want to figure out a way to unscramble that audio to figure out who is saying what."

From Science Daily

The researchers first worked to unscramble the signals from Mr. Oskam’s brain.

From NewsForKids.net

Unnamed sources cited by The Los Angeles Times suggested that the newspaper might have been hit by ransomware — a pernicious attack that scrambles computer programs and files before demanding that the victim pay a ransom to unscramble them.

From New York Times

Even the operator of the app cannot unscramble messages as they pass across systems - they can be decrypted only by the people in the chat.

From BBC

Related Words

• conclude
• determine
• discover
• fathom
• resolve
• see
• settle
• solve
• suppose
• think