as in to retract
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to)
the witness tried to unsay the very testimony that he had given a few days earlier
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsay
My next feature will explore the emotional violence of silence against women – the things left unsaid, the complicity of those who look away.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
The response of corporate America to those killings was instructive — both for what was said and left unsaid.
—Alessandro Piazza, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Instead, symbols, especially flowers, became powerful ways to communicate feelings that might otherwise go unsaid.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
After the release of their 2023 album Table for Two, the alternative pop-rock duo recognized that there were a lot of things left unsaid.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsay
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
The response of corporate America to those killings was instructive — both for what was said and left unsaid.
—Alessandro Piazza, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Instead, symbols, especially flowers, became powerful ways to communicate feelings that might otherwise go unsaid.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
After the release of their 2023 album Table for Two, the alternative pop-rock duo recognized that there were a lot of things left unsaid.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unsay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsay
Verb
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Some umbrellas are designed with an easy-push-button open and closure feature that allows users to conveniently push a button to retract the umbrella.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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However, Anthropic later partially retracted the takedown, scaling it down to only one repository and 96 fork URLs.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If an ancestor renounced citizenship, rights to Canadian citizenship end there.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Returning to the guitars that characterized the band’s earliest work without renouncing their latter-day synths, MacFarlane gives Graham’s ruminations an urgent tenderness.—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the face of growing opposition generated in part by allegations of his misconduct, Gaetz withdrew.—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
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Each retiree withdraws $50,000 per year.—
Doug Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For certain great artists, Meis believes, the creative act is a safe harbor where life’s pressures, exigencies, and calamities aren’t so much denied or resolved as reimagined as pictorial dramas.—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Judge Antonio Arzola denied the request for a standard bond, citing probable cause, and issued an elevated $5,000 bond.—
Nikiya Carrero,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Although the Germans, whose territory bordered Mozambique to the north, accepted the Portuguese claims—establishing Mozambique’s northern boundary—British claims to the region contradicted those of Portugal, leading to prolonged negotiations.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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The defense attorneys sought to show that testimony from officers on scene that day contradicted their own body camera footage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsay. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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