unmaking 1 of 2

noun

as in removal

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

unmaking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of unmake
as in deposing
to remove from a position of prominence or power (as a throne) a movie studio chief who likes to boast that he can unmake any star in Hollywood if he wishes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unmaking
Noun
The film doesn’t entirely shy away from Presley’s unmaking. — Kim Willis, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026 The unmaking of the West has not been Trump’s doing alone. — Stewart Patrick, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
An ellipsis making and unmaking itself. — Literary Hub, 17 June 2026 By the time Ben is unmaking the bed, lying in it, and cussing João out, the fight is bad. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unmaking
  1. removal
  2. deposing
  3. overthrow
  4. sacking
  5. impeachment
  6. toppling
  7. expulsion
  8. dismissal
Noun
  • In severe cases, particularly when other treatments have failed, a hysterectomy with or without removal of the ovaries may also be considered.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • Refer to your owner’s manual for specific filter removal instructions.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 6 July 2026
Definition of removal
Verb
  • Conspicuously absent in the edit is the follow-up question from the attorney deposing Cavanaugh, who asked whether DOGE actually managed to reduce the deficit.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
  • While the opposition Conservative Party has a history of deposing prime ministers while in office, Labour does not, said Jonathan Tonge, a professor of politics at the University of Liverpool.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Definition of deposing
Noun
  • Still, the timing of Saturday’s announcement suggests the protests — the biggest string of rallies since the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000 — have played a role.
    — Reuters, CNN Money, 27 June 2026
  • Haitian soldiers seasoned on American battlefields during the revolution later sparked Haiti’s overthrow of French colonial rule, depriving France of its most profitable slave colony and ending one of the most brutal enslavement of human beings in modern world history.
    — Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
Definition of overthrow
Verb
  • To an outsider, the scene may spark a certain Schadenfreude, like an army of tiny barbarians sacking Rome.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • One source close to the squad, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, told The Athletic that the AUF considered sacking Bielsa around this period, aware of the ongoing issues with the squad.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of sacking
Noun
  • Federal judges hold lifetime appointments under Article III of the Constitution and can be removed only through impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 7 July 2026
  • In addition to being accused of adultery by his estranged wife, Paxton, a staunch MAGA ally, has faced felony securities fraud charges, an FBI investigation into corruption and state impeachment hearings that ended in an acquittal.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Definition of impeachment
Verb
  • Statue toppling riots… and the very real possibility of death.
    — Rund Abdelfatah, NPR, 2 July 2026
  • Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 campaign to recover from a torn Achilles, but the Pacers were one game away from toppling the Oklahoma City Thunder and winning the 2024-25 championship before Haliburton got hurt.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of toppling
Noun
  • Accra’s 1969 migrant expulsion and Uganda’s mass ban three years later both triggered capital flight and supply chain chaos.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
  • The poems explore themes of loss, identity, artmaking and the natural world, as well as the 1885 expulsion of Chinese immigrants from Eureka, California.
    — Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 21 June 2026
Definition of expulsion
Noun
  • The two seasons of the podcast have drawn national attention to the dismissal of women’s pain.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 July 2026
  • The department then request a GBI investigation on June 25, 2026, leading to the arrests and dismissal of the officers.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Definition of dismissal

Browse Nearby Words

unmakes
unmaking
unmalicious
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unmaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unmaking. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All