unmake

[uhn-meyk]

verb (used with object)

unmade, unmaking 

1. to cause to be as if never made; reduce to the original elements or condition; undo; destroy.

2. to depose from office or authority; demote in rank.

3. to change the essential point of (a book, play, etc.).

4. to alter the opinion of (one's mind).

5. to change or alter the character of.

unmake

/ ʌnˈmeɪk /

verb

1. to undo or destroy

2. to depose from office, rank, or authority

3. to alter the nature of

Other Word Forms

• unmaker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unmake¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, unmake is from the Middle English word unmaken. See un- ², make ¹

Example Sentences

Its goal, he stated frankly, was to unmake FDR’s New Deal.

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The U.S. government cannot unmake this system and should not try to do so.

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What the voyage now represents is the unmaking of ideas from some of the great thinkers and creators of the age.

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Limited in range but emotionally enlightening, the instruction resonantly conjugates the way language makes and unmakes us.

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How do we "unmake the self-made myth," Quart asks.

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Related Words

• adjourn 
• break up 
• cancel 
• collapse 
• demolish 
• destroy 
• discharge 
• dismiss 
• overthrow 
• postpone 
• repeal 
• separate 
• sever 
• suspend 
• terminate 
• vacate