unlearn

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English unlernen, equivalent to un- +‎ learn.

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

unlearn (third-person singular simple present unlearns, present participle unlearning, simple past and past participle unlearned or unlearnt)

  1. (transitive) To discard the knowledge of.
    • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus, published 2010, page 80:
      It was another lesson from Fort Hare that I had to unlearn in Johannesburg.
    • 2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 231:
      It is a language that, once learnt, I have been unable to unlearn.
  2. (transitive) To break a habit.

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Anagrams[edit]