Unwish

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To desire retroactively that something had not occurred or did not exist
2. To express a longing that a past event could be undone or that a current reality were different
3. To wish away or regret the existence or occurrence of something

Etymology: "Unwish" is a plain English formation: the prefix "un-" attached to "wish." The prefix has been part of English since Old English, where it meant "not" or reversed an action, and it attaches freely to native verbs to express reversal or undoing. The verb "wish" has a deeper pedigree. It descends from Old English "wȳsċan," which in turn traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to desire," and ultimately to Proto-Indo-European roots that are the ancestors of many words for wanting and asking. Over centuries, "wish" lost none of its core sense of wanting something, even as it moved from Old English to Middle English and into modern usage.

Synonyms: regret, lament, wish otherwise

Antonyms: wish, desire