Have you ever done something you wish you could undo? Wouldn’t life be grand if, at the touch of a button, we could unsay that embarrassing remark, unmake that last minute u-turn or uneat that double cheeseburger? Of course it would. It is empowering and oh-so delightfully passive aggressive that you could publicly, but with no direct interaction, terminate the friendship with any person that displeases or offends you.

This dream of being impervious to the actual consequences of ending a relationship has brought rise to the term “unfriend”. In 2009, the New Oxford American Dictionary named this little public breakup the word of the year.

For those not in the know, the term refers to the action of removing a contact, or friend, from those amassed in any online social network a user has joined. For example, if an old eighth grade schoolmate of yours happens to profess their love for John Mayer and you do not like it: One click – Unfriend. You just let the masses know “I hate John Mayer and all of his minions,” and you’ll never hear about it again. At least not from that guy. This action of unloading folks from your digital social circle is applicable across most social networks.

In a statement issued by New Oxford, senior lexicographer Christine Lindberg referred to the term unfriend as having “both currency and potential longevity.”

Well, we should all hope so – because there is a plethora of things that would be phenomenal to “un”.

For starters, unbuying a car would be phenomenal. It’d be like one of those 24-hour test drives, but for as long as you like.

“That Mustang isn’t working out for you sir? Wow, even after three years? Well, you unbought it, so here’s your money back. Have fun at the Chevy dealer!”

How about uneating some cake? Well, hmm… It would seem logical that vomiting is nothing revolutionary. However, the idea of uneating without the act of bulimia would be a huge hit. Just picture the uneating infomercial starring Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley in spandex, telling you how young they feel. Not sold? Don’t worry, you can always unbuy it.

The list really does go on:

• When you’re at a lame party, you can untravel there and find yourself instantly nestled into the grooves of your own sofa.
• Traveling to Milwaukee and hate the smell of beer and cheese? No problem, just unsmell it! The effect would be similar to that of a new car smell.
• If your local senator is turning out to be more of a money-grubbing deadbeat, fear not. Just unvote. Only Green Party supporters and militia-member libertarians are going to sit that “un” out.
• Yuck, you’ve just returned home from the gym and you’re all slimy and gross. Forget the shower and simply unsweat.
• Decided to see a Keanu Reeves movie? Ouch! You can always unwatch. Granted, your head will be filled with emptiness for that hour, but not seeing Keanu is almost as satisfying as having just watched Swayze. Win!
• Jimmy John’s already has an Unwich, which a bread-free sammy. Yeah, Jimmy Johns!
• Sometimes deep thoughts and dilemmas keep us up at night pondering decisions, opinions and courses of action. If you don’t want that hassle anymore, just uneducate yourself. Ignorance is bliss!
• If underwear is already an “un,” does ununderwear become like outerwear and leave one standing with one’s boxers over their jeans?

If you’ve made it this far, you may want to consider unreading something. Do that now. Ok, so if you’re now wondering why this sentence is taking up your eyes’ time, just start from the top. Don’t worry, you’ll be reading this again, and again, and again.

For some serious stories about this year’s unnews, check out the Unfriend Google search results.