unlearn

[uhn-lurn]

verb (used with object)

1. to forget or lose knowledge of.

2. to discard or put aside certain knowledge as being false or binding.

   to unlearn preconceptions.

verb (used without object)

1. to lose or discard knowledge.

unlearn

/ ʌnˈlɜːn /

verb

1. to try to forget (something learnt) or to discard (accumulated knowledge)

Word History and Origins

Origin of unlearn¹

First recorded in 1400–50, unlearn is from the late Middle English word unlernen. See un- ², learn

Example Sentences

Letting go meant unlearning years of habitual behaviour.

From BBC

The three-episode conclusion has provided Han the opportunity to give Belly a more fully dimensional journey of unlearning bad habits, spreading her wings and figuring out who she wants to be in the world.

From Los Angeles Times

Critics and audiences were done with Deen, refusing to look critically at her defense, which was that she grew up in the 1960s at the start of Southern integration, and that unlearning language took time.

From Salon

An unlearning of this scale begs to be satirized.

From Salon

That means unlearning the language that perpetuates harm and stereotypes, and being more compassionate and humane across the board.

From Los Angeles Times