to untangle one's thoughts
- phrasal verb
:
aclarar los pensamientos
- To make a good decision, she needs to untangle her thoughts and clarify her priorities.
Examples
-
Meditation helps me untangle my thoughts when I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
-
After a long day, he sat quietly on the porch to untangle his thoughts about the meeting.
-
Kendra's heart hammered with anticipation as they continued into Faienga, even as she tried to untangle her thoughts.
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
38
3.5
To use your mind clearly without being confused
34
3.4
Able to use your mind without confusion to make good decisions
6
7.0
To calm your mind and think clearly
6
4.3
To take time to put your ideas in order and calm down before you speak
6
4.4
Pause and think clearly before you speak or decide
5
7.7
Put your thoughts and feelings in order after a time of confusion
4
3.9
To understand a situation well without being confused
2
5.9
To put your life and thoughts in order when you feel confused
1
3.9
To stop thinking about upsetting or confusing thoughts to feel calmer
1
7.2
To organize your thoughts and feelings after feeling confused or upset
1
3.7
To stop worrying and think calmly to focus
1
3.4
To clear your head after feeling tired or distracted
To think about and explain your ideas clearly to yourself or others
Antonyms
How Clear
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to make one's ideas clear and organized' is directly derivable from combining 'untangle' (to disentangle or remove knots) with 'thoughts' (ideas); the metaphor of 'tangled thoughts' is straightforward. This is a common, transparent metaphor across languages and follows normal compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would very likely understand the expression.
Etymology
Untangle one's thoughts comes from the image of trying to untangle a knotted rope: the thoughts are like a knot you slowly pull apart. So, to untangle one's thoughts means to make your ideas 'clear' and 'organized' when you feel confused.