uninventing
Erasing a creation
Uninventing is the hypothetical act of undoing an invention—removing something from existence as if it had never been created.
The word usually appears in contexts acknowledging impossibility: You can't uninvent the atomic bomb.
It captures the irreversibility of technological or scientific advances, often in discussions of weapons, surveillance, or other innovations that trouble the conscience.
Cause of destruction
- reversingGoing in opposite direction
- abolishingFormally ending something
- repealingAbolishing enacted legislation
- annullingNullifying legally
rescinding · revoking · retracting · negating · voiding · canceling · withdrawing · overturning
Breaking into constituent elements
- disassemblingTaking something apart
- dismantlingTaking apart systematically
- eliminatingRemoving from consideration
- removingTaking something out
eradicating · extinguishing · obliterating · scrapping · discarding · junking · shelving · mothballing
Transferring power locally
- retrogressionMovement to earlier state
- backslidingReverting to former sins
- relapsingReturning to worse state
- regressingReturning to earlier state
deteriorating · declining · atrophying · deskilling · unlearning · forgetting · simplifying · dumbing down
Previously mentioned or stated
- renouncingFormally abandoning a claim
- rejectingRefusing to accept
- refusingDeclining to accept
- abstainingVoluntarily doing without
eschewing · forsaking · relinquishing · surrendering · abandoning · giving up · letting go · walking away
undoing
Cause of destruction
- reversingGoing in opposite direction
- abolishingFormally ending something
- repealingAbolishing enacted legislation
annulling · rescinding · revoking · retracting · negating · voiding · canceling · withdrawing · overturning · quashing
deconstructing
Breaking into constituent elements
- disassemblingTaking something apart
- dismantlingTaking apart systematically
- eliminatingRemoving from consideration
removing · eradicating · extinguishing · obliterating · scrapping · discarding · junking · shelving · mothballing · retiring
devolution
Transferring power locally
- retrogressionMovement to earlier state
- backslidingReverting to former sins
- relapsingReturning to worse state
regressing · deteriorating · declining · atrophying · deskilling · unlearning · forgetting · simplifying · dumbing down · stripping down
foregoing
Previously mentioned or stated
- renouncingFormally abandoning a claim
- rejectingRefusing to accept
- refusingDeclining to accept
abstaining · eschewing · forsaking · relinquishing · surrendering · abandoning · giving up · letting go · walking away · turning away
uninventinginventing
Creating something novel
creating · devising · conceiving · innovating · originating
uninventingdiscovering
Finding what was hidden
pioneering · advancing · innovating · introducing · engineering
uninventingadvancing
Moving in forward direction
progressing · building upon · evolving · improving · iterating
invent, invention, inventor, inventive, inventing, reinvent, reinvention, reinvented, reinvents