What does unsay mean?
Unsay is a transitive verb meaning to retract, withdraw, or take back a statement that has already been made. It is especially associated with regret: a speaker wishes to reverse something said in anger, haste, or embarrassment. The word is relatively literary and uncommon in ordinary conversation, but it is useful when precision matters because it distinguishes withdrawing a statement from never having said it. A sentence such as “I wish I could unsay that” conveys both the possibility of retraction and the speaker’s regret. Although it can be confused with unsaid or unspeak, unsay has a specifically backward-looking meaning. Its concise form also makes it memorable: the act of speaking is treated as something one can effectively reverse without pretending the words were never uttered.
verbTo retract, withdraw, or take back something one has said, especially a statement that has been made and is now regretted.
- To retract, withdraw, or take back a statement or remark that has already been made.
"I wish I could unsay what I just said, but the damage is done."
"I wish I could unsay what I just said, but the damage is done."
"The witness tried to unsay the accusation, insisting that she had been mistaken."
Some words can be taken back in a sentence: unsay is the rare verb for making a spoken statement disappear from the record.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unsay come from?
Unsay is an English formation combining the prefix un-, meaning “reverse” or “undo,” with say. The prefix here indicates cancellation rather than simple absence, so the verb literally describes reversing the act of saying something. Its formation is parallel to unspeak, while unsaid is a closely related form describing something that remains unspoken.
Related word forms
How unsay is actually used
Relatively literary and uncommon in ordinary conversation. It is especially used in contexts of regret, embarrassment, or an attempt to withdraw a harmful or careless statement.
Easily confused with unsay
Unsay is a verb meaning to retract a statement, whereas unsaid is an adjective describing something that has not been spoken.
Unsay means to take back words already spoken, while unspeak means to avoid speaking or to express something that cannot be put into words.