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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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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Those words probably should have been retracted.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
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Amnesty said Mohammadi denied the charges and retracted his confessions in court, saying they were extracted under torture.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The German Jews were the founders of American Reform Judaism, which renounced dietary laws, bar mitzvahs, and Zionism.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
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China views Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to take the island under its control.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The streaming giant’s stock price doesn’t yet reflect it, but analysts’ uniformly positive reaction is perhaps the biggest vote of confidence by the Street since Netflix last month withdrew its proposal to acquire Warner Bros.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2026
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If earnings are withdrawn early and don’t qualify for an exception, a 10% additional tax penalty may apply.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sorokin was locked in from the drop of the puck, denying Colin Blackwell on a shorthanded breakaway 10 minutes in and making a handful of other 10-bell saves on quality scoring chances in the first period alone.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Omar, 38, eventually married Hirsi legally in a 2018 ceremony before the two divorced after it was alleged that Omar was having an affair with her chief fundraiser Tim Mynett, who denied the claim.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Iranian state media, however, contradicted the president's account of conversations, saying that Washington and Tehran have not held direct or indirect talks.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
23 Mar. 2026
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And the law contradicts itself.—
Christopher Spata,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unsay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsay. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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