unsee

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "unsee" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used informally to express a desire to forget or erase a visual memory or experience. Example: "After watching that horror movie, I wish I could unsee the terrifying scenes that haunted me all night."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"Once you see it you can't unsee it," boasts one of the film's marketing slogans.

Independent

Once you've seen the smiley, you can never unsee it – especially when a large number of your correspondents use it with the gusto of a drag queen dispensing snaps at a Project Runway marathon.

Independent

By the end of an extraordinary hour, which shades by turns from funny to grotesque to tear-jerking, one has seen several things that prove hard to unsee in the subsequent days.

Independent

Photographs, impossible to unsee, show him wearing a Hitler moustache; that year, Heidegger told his students, "Let not theories and 'ideas' be the rules of your being.

The New Yorker

Whether all the above reaches your cinema is hard to say; I like the sound of a preview that took place at the Alamo Drafthouse, in Austin, Texas, where viewers were warned that they would shortly be seeing things that they could "never unsee".

The New Yorker

In the age of dashboard video cameras and cell-phone-captured arrests, there is so much that we see and can't ever unsee.

The New Yorker

Seconds after the frame that I can't unsee, the girl lost control of the gun and killed the man standing next to her with a single shot to the head.

The New Yorker

It seems unlikely that Pacquiao would retire, but few people who watched him get knocked out on Saturday night would pick him to win a fifth fight against Márquez — once you have seen a fighter get knocked out, it's hard to unsee it, and to imagine that the fight could have gone otherwise.

The New Yorker

There's something across the aisle that will be hard to unsee.

The New York Times

But once you see what good design can do, once you experience it, you can't unsee it or unexperience it.

The New York Times

This work is not for everyone, but it is bracing and once seen, impossible to unsee.

The New York Times - Books

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "unsee" when you want to express the impossibility of erasing a visual experience from your memory, often implying a disturbing or shocking image.

Common error

Avoid using "unsee" to describe non-visual experiences. It specifically relates to things one has seen, not heard, felt, or otherwise experienced.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "unsee" is as a verb, specifically used transitively to describe the action of undoing or reversing the effect of seeing something. Ludwig examples demonstrate its use in expressing the desire or inability to erase a visual memory.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "unsee" is a grammatically correct and very commonly used verb that expresses the desire or inability to forget something one has seen. According to Ludwig, it's particularly prevalent in news and media contexts. Its function is to convey the intensity of a visual experience and the difficulty of erasing it from memory. Though Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage, remember to use it in visual contexts and avoid it in formal scientific writing. Alternatives like "erase from memory" or "forget what I saw" can be used depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

forget what I saw

A straightforward expression of wanting to forget a specific visual experience.

impossible to forget

Stresses the difficulty in forgetting something.

erase from memory

Focuses on the act of actively trying to forget something.

unable to wipe from my memory

Focuses on the inability to remove the memory.

wish I hadn't seen it

Expresses regret over having witnessed something.

can't get it out of my head

Highlights the intrusive nature of the memory.

cannot erase from my mind

Emphasizes the permanence of the memory.

indelible image

Highlights the lasting impact of the visual memory.

haunting memory

Suggests the memory is disturbing and difficult to shake.

permanently etched in my memory

Implies a deep and lasting impression.

FAQs

How to use "unsee" in a sentence?

"Unsee" is typically used to express the wish or inability to forget a disturbing or shocking image. For example, "After watching that film, I wish I could "unsee" some of those scenes."

What can I say instead of "unsee"?

You can use alternatives like "erase from memory", "forget what I saw", or "wish I hadn't seen it" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "unsee" or "un-see"?

"Unsee" is the correct and more common spelling. The hyphenated form "un-see" is less frequent and generally unnecessary.

Is "unsee" a real word?

Yes, "unsee" is a real word, although it is primarily used informally to describe the act of trying to forget something that one has seen. It's recognized in dictionaries and used in various forms of media.