Unmodernizing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To reverse or eliminate modern features or qualities in something that has evolved or changed over time
2. To restore an older or traditional form to a practice, design, or concept that has become contemporary
3. To reintroduce obsolete elements or styles to something that has been updated or is currently viewed as modern

Etymology: The word is built from two parts: the prefix "un-", meaning "reverse" or "undo", attached to "modernize". Modernize itself comes from "modern", which traces back through French to Late Latin "modernus", a formation from "modo", meaning "just now". So "unmodernize" literally means to undo modernization, pulling something back toward the old-fashioned. The "un-" prefix is one of English's most productive tools for reversing an action. It attaches to many verbs, such as "unbuild" or "unmask", and is most often used with a verb that already names a process, as here. Because "modernize" describes changing something to suit current tastes and methods, adding "un-" describes the opposite change: restoring the older style or undoing the updates.

Synonyms: de-modernizing, reverting

Antonyms: modernizing, upgrading, updating