unlearn
Shed old knowledge
To unlearn is to discard something previously learned—a habit, belief, or way of thinking.
The word acknowledges that some knowledge becomes obsolete or harmful and must be actively shed: I had to unlearn everything I thought I knew about management.
Unlearning often proves harder than learning, since it requires overwriting ingrained patterns.
Undo prior training
- reprogramModify stored instructions
- retrainTeach new job skills
- reeducateInstill revised beliefs
- deradicalizeReverse extremist beliefs
debrief · recondition · unwire · rewire · disabuse · detox · rehabilitate · counterprogram
Leave behind permanently
- jettisonDeliberately discard, especially cargo
- purgeEliminate unwanted elements
- rejectDismiss as unsuitable
- dismantleSeparate into parts
eliminate · renounce · shed · strip · erase · extinguish · remove · discard
Turn to opposite
- unravelSeparate intertwined strands
- unpickRemove stitches methodically
- untangleUndo knots or confusion
- disassembleSeparate into parts
unknot · backtrack · unwind · unweave · unthread · take apart · unwork
Cease holding something
- liberateSet free from captivity
- freeWithout payment or restriction
- detachTo separate from
- disentangleFree from snarls
unshackle · unbind · loosen · unfetter · disburden · disencumber · extricate · unyoke
Think about something anew
- reevaluateConsider again more carefully
- reassessEvaluate a second time
- reexamineInspect once more
- questionRequest for information
challenge · reinterpret · reconceptualize · reappraise · reflect · critique · reframe · revise
decondition
Undo prior training
deradicalize · debrief · recondition · unwire · rewire · disabuse · detox · rehabilitate · counterprogram
abandon
Leave behind permanently
- jettisonDeliberately discard, especially cargo
- purgeEliminate unwanted elements
- rejectDismiss as unsuitable
dismantle · eliminate · renounce · shed · strip · erase · extinguish · remove · discard · cast off
reverse
Turn to opposite
- unravelSeparate intertwined strands
- unpickRemove stitches methodically
- untangleUndo knots or confusion
disassemble · unknot · backtrack · unwind · unweave · unthread · take apart · unwork
let go
Cease holding something
disentangle · unshackle · unbind · loosen · unfetter · disburden · disencumber · extricate · unyoke · unburden
reconsider
Think about something anew
- reevaluateConsider again more carefully
- reassessEvaluate a second time
- reexamineInspect once more
question · challenge · reinterpret · reconceptualize · reappraise · reflect · critique · reframe · revise · deconstruct
erase
Remove recorded marks
- effaceEliminate from view
- obliterateDestroy all traces of
- fadeLose intensity gradually
lapse · blank out · suppress · repress · dissolve · vanish · dissipate · wipe away · clear · unremember
unlearnlearn
Acquire knowledge or skill
acquire · absorb · master · study · assimilate
unlearnremember
Retain in mind
recall · retain · recollect · keep in mind · commit to memory