unknit

American  

[uhn-nit] / ʌnˈnɪt /

verb (used with object)

unknitted, unknit, unknitting

1. to untie or unfasten (a knot, tangle, etc.); unravel (something knitted); undo.

2. to weaken, undo, or destroy.

3. to smooth out (something wrinkled).

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verb (used without object)

unknitted, unknit, unknitting

1. to become undone.

unknit British  

/ ʌnˈnɪt /

verb

1. to make or become undone, untied, or unravelled

2. (tr) to loosen, weaken, or destroy

   to unknit an alliance

3. rare (tr) to smooth out (a wrinkled brow)

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Other Word Forms

• unknittable
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of unknit

before 1000; Middle English unknytten, Old English uncnyttan. See un- ², knit

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unknit unknitted unknitting

In the scorbutic body, as connective tissue fails, long-healed broken bones unknit themselves, and legs cramp so severely that the person cannot walk.

From Slate ● Dec. 8, 2016

And now he unknit his black brows; looked down, smiling at me, and stroked my hair, as if well pleased at seeing a danger averted.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Because the knot was knit by faith, and must only be unknit of death.

From The Growth of English Drama by Arnold Wynne

A bone, a muscle, a tendon, a sinew, may be ill-nourished, undeveloped, green, and unknit, but, at the worst, they are inside of a man and they are his own. 

From Bunyan Characters (2nd Series) by Alexander Whyte

He scarcely appeared half his usual height; his joints were unknit, his limbs would not support him; his face was contracted, his eye wandering; debility of purpose and dastard fear were expressed in every gesture.

From The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Instantly, Mr. Roberts’s eyes slid out of focus, his brows unknitted, and a look of dreamy unconcern fell over his face.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

She sobbed and knitted her fingers together, unknitted them, and wove them together again in convulsions of distress—of despair.

From The Broom-Squire by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould

Torrini slowly unknitted his brows, and an irresolute expression stole across his face; then he called Brigida, and bade her go in with the children.

From The Stillwater Tragedy by Thomas Bailey Aldrich

By this time the unwonted prospect of a really hearty dinner began to soften the stern Juliet, and her brows unknitted themselves, showing that her eyes would be pretty if they wore a pleasant expression.

From Littlebourne Lock by F. Bayford Harrison

When it is necessary to decrease two stitches at once, proceed thus:--Slip one, knit two stitches together, then slip the unknitted stitch over the two knitted together.

From Beeton's Book of Needlework by Mrs. (Isabella Mary) Beeton

This was the last word of the tale, when sweet sleep came speedily upon him, sleep that loosens the limbs of men, unknitting the cares of his soul.

From The Odyssey Done into English prose by Andrew Lang

With the insight and tenderness of a mother he restrained himself, and unknitting his brows, held out both his hands and said very kindly, "Come and tell poor Papa all about it, my darling."

From A Flat Iron for a Farthing or Some Passages in the Life of an only Son by M. V. Wheelhouse

He was pacing to and fro, with rapid, nervous steps, crushing the dry twigs under his shoes, pressing his hands together behind his back, knitting and unknitting his fingers.

From A Friend of Caesar A Tale of the Fall of the Roman Republic. Time, 50-47 B.C. by William Stearns Davis

The fat Earl hemmed and hawed, clearing his throat to gain time, and knitting and unknitting his fingers over his stomach.

From The Black Douglas by Frank Richards

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