unlearn

verb

un·​learn ˌən-ˈlərn 

unlearned; unlearning; unlearns

transitive verb

1

: to put out of one's knowledge or memory

… he would have to unlearn the pro athlete's mantra of "playing with pain."

—Victor Frankel

2

: to undo the effect of : discard the habit of

Synonyms of unlearn

• forget

Examples of unlearn in a Sentence

It is hard to unlearn bad habits.

let's hope that over the summer I don't unlearn everything I learned over the course of this past year

Recent Examples on the Web

Lessons still unlearned Here’s another lesson. —Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

Invest now in people who can learn, unlearn and lead through ambiguity, not just execute today’s playbook. —Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026

In one conversation, the Grammy winner opened up about how he's been trying to unlearn past patterns and behaviors to be less guarded. —Joyann Jeffrey, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026

Proserpio says the degree to which these technologies could unlearn the biases at all remains an open question. —Amancai Biraben, Oc Register, 6 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for unlearn

• moderne
• relearn
• bairn
• cairn

Kids Definition

unlearn

verb

un·​learn ˌən-ˈlərn 

: to put out of one's knowledge or memory