uninvent
Undo a discovery
To uninvent something is to undo or reverse an invention—to return to a world where that thing was never created.
The word appears almost exclusively in the negative: You can't uninvent the atomic bomb.
It captures the impossibility of erasing knowledge or technology once it exists.
Officially end a practice
- eraseRemove recorded marks
- obliterateDestroy all traces of
- expungeDelete entirely, officially
- annulDeclare legally void
nullify · void · cancel · delete · efface · extinguish · wipe out · remove
Reverse a prior action
Revert to bad habits
- retrogressDecline to prior condition
- declineDecrease or refuse
- deteriorateGrow worse over time
- degenerateDecline morally or physically
decay · relapse · revert · retreat · regress · devolve · retrograde · reverse
abolish
Officially end a practice
- eraseRemove recorded marks
- obliterateDestroy all traces of
- expungeDelete entirely, officially
annul · nullify · void · cancel · delete · efface · extinguish · wipe out · remove · suppress
undo
Reverse a prior action
backslide
Revert to bad habits
- retrogressDecline to prior condition
- declineDecrease or refuse
- deteriorateGrow worse over time
degenerate · decay · relapse · revert · retreat · regress · devolve · retrograde · reverse · return
uninventinventive
Showing original thought
creative · innovative · original · imaginative · ingenious
uninventinvent
Create something new
realize · actualize · manifest · bring forth · give birth to