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Glite Dictionary
to unsay

to unsay

1 9.3
To take back words you used earlier
  • verb
  • /ʌnˈseɪ/
translation icon : retirar
  • He regretted his harsh words and wanted to unsay them to his friend.

Examples

  • After realizing the impact of her statement, she wished she could unsay it.

  • You can never unsay something you've said.

  • It's so much harder to unsay things.

    Blog text (26)

  • She wanted to force him to unsay it.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • It is no proud thing to unsay what I have said, to pull down what I have attempted to build up.

    Academic text (1990)

  • It's impossible to unsay the hurtful things that were said during the argument.

Synonyms

to withdraw
vsto unsay
103 3.7

To take back something you said before, especially in public

is a plain act of removing something said earlier in speech or writing
to take back
vsto unsay
61 3.5

Say that what you said before was wrong and you no longer believe it

is the broader act of undoing a prior spoken or written comment
to recant
vsto unsay
  • Formal
44 8.6

Say publicly that you no longer believe something you said before

covers simple removal of prior words rather than formal religious or moral renunciation
to retract
vsto unsay
  • Formal
41 6.0

To take back a statement or opinion in public

is a more general act of taking back a previous spoken remark
to swallow
vsto unsay
  • Informal
5 7.0

To take back words you said

involves actively taking back spoken words rather than merely not expressing them
to untell
vsto unsay
1 9.9

To try to take back words you have said

is the straightforward removal of previously expressed words without the attempt nuance
to eat one's words
vsto unsay
  • Informal
6.6

To admit you were wrong and take back what you said

focuses on removing earlier words rather than admitting error publicly

Antonyms

to say
∞ 1.0

Speak words to show information or feelings

How Strong

to recant
  • Formal
44 8.6
to disavow
  • Formal
33 7.7
to retract
  • Formal
41 6.0
to unsay
1 9.3
to take back
61 3.5

Surface Forms

unsay infinitive
unsaying present participle
unsays third person singular
unsaid past
unsaid past participle

Morphology

unsay = say (transparent) = un + say

The verb is formed by the productive negative prefix 'un-' added to the verb 'say', yielding the straightforward meaning 'retract or withdraw what was said'.

Etymology

The word unsay is put together from un- ('reverse') and say ('speak'), the same un- you know in undo. So to unsay something is to 'take back' words you have already said, like trying to pull your words back.