Unravel vs Elucidate - What's the difference?
unravel | elucidate |
to separate the threads (of); disentangle
to become undone; to collapse
* 2010 , Ian Cowie,
*:The great Ponzi scheme that lies behind our State pension is unravelling – as they all do eventually – because money being taken from new investors is insufficient to honour promises issued to earlier generations.
(figurative) To clear from complication or difficulty; to unfold; to solve.
(figurative) To separate the connected or united parts of; to throw into disorder; to confuse.
* Dryden
To make clear; to clarify; to shed light upon.
* 1817 , , Northanger Abbey , ch. 13:
* 1960 , "
* 2004 , David Bernstein, “
Elucidate is a synonym of unravel.
As verbs the difference between unravel and elucidate
is that unravel is to separate the threads (of); disentangle while elucidate is to make clear; to clarify; to shed light upon.unravel
English
Verb
- Stop playing with the seam of the tablecloth! You will unravel it.
- Mother couldn't unravel the ball of wool after the cat had played with it.
"State pension Ponzi scheme unravels with retirement at 70", The Telegraph , June 24th, 2010,
- New Ponzi Scheme Unravels !
- to unravel a plot
- to unravel a mystery
- to unravel the confusion
- Art shall be conjured for it, and nature all unravelled .
- ''to unravel the global compromise achieved in the Constitutional Treaty
- ''to unravel the broad consensus which was created
Usage notes
unraveling and unraveled are primarily US while unravelling and unravelled are primarily UK.Synonyms
* unriddle * solve * unsnarl * disentangleDerived terms
* unravellingAnagrams
* English ergative verbselucidate
English
Verb
(elucidat)- The business, however, though not perfectly elucidated by this speech, soon ceased to be a puzzle.
Medicine: Unmasking the Brain," Time , 4 April:
- [P]hysicians at the annual meeting of the American Academy of General Practice were fascinated by a 3-ft. model showing the brain's components in 20 layers of translucent plastic, and wired for colored lights to elucidate some of its workings.
Philosophy Hitches a Ride With ‘The Sopranos’,” New York Times , 13 April (retrieved 19 Aug. 2009):
- The new Sopranos volume has 17 essays that examine the television show and elucidate concepts from classical philosophers, including Aristotle, Machiavelli, Nietzsche, Sun Tzu and Plato.