1.
to unravel; to untangle
To carefully separate tangled threads, knots, or similar physical entanglements.
糸の絡まりを解きほぐす。
To untangle a knot of thread.
ゆっくりと毛糸を解きほぐして巻き直した。
I slowly unraveled the yarn and rewound it.
複雑に絡み合った問題を一つずつ解きほぐしていく必要がある。
We need to untangle the complexly intertwined issues one by one.
2.
to ease; to relieve; to loosen up
To gradually relieve tension, anxiety, or stiffness, whether emotional or physical.
緊張を解きほぐす。
To ease one's tension.
笑顔で相手の警戒心を解きほぐした。
With a smile, she eased the other person's wariness.
マッサージで凝り固まった肩の筋肉を解きほぐしてもらった。
I had a massage to loosen up my stiff shoulder muscles.
Transitive godan verb. Compound of 解き (untying) + ほぐす (to loosen). The figurative sense (easing tension) is at least as common as the literal sense.
ASPECT (ている):
解きほぐしている can indicate either an ongoing process or a resulting state.
PARTICLE PATTERNS:
- 糸を解きほぐす (to unravel thread)
- 緊張を解きほぐす (to ease tension)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 緊張を解きほぐす (to relieve tension)
- 心を解きほぐす (to put someone at ease)
- 筋肉を解きほぐす (to loosen muscles)
- 問題を解きほぐす (to untangle a problem)