unweave

[ uhn-weev ]

verb (used with object)

, un·wove, un·wo·ven, un·weav·ing.

1. to undo, take apart, or separate (something woven); unravel.

Word History and Origins

Origin of unweave¹

First recorded in 1535–45; un- ² + weave

Example Sentences

By unweaving your web, you may confirm their suspicions about the reliability of atheists, but you’ll also show that it’s possible to confess and seek absolution without believing in God.

From New York Times

The 73-year-old nation born of a bitter postcolonial divorce has heaved through humiliating defeats, careened from coup to coup and stubbornly endured despite relentless forces working to unweave it.

From New York Times

The fetish of individualism and the distrust of government are woven deep into the fabric of American culture, and it will take more than an election to unweave them.

From The Guardian

Mesh by knotted mesh, it’s a net we have woven, perversely, by unweaving the web of life.

From New York Times

“This is an opportunity for Seattle to be truly progressive, to unpack and unweave those racist and biased practices embedded in all institutions of power,” said Chelsea Hendrickson, Northern Arapaho and Cupiq.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• clear up
• disentangle
• extricate
• unravel
• unscramble