21

The antonym of "upgrade" is "downgrade", quite broadly used.

What is the antonym of "update"?

Update:
Though, I hoped for something like "un-update" because reverting or uninstalling updates are much lengthier.
Update2:
After having further answers about "Restore", et al, I decided to restore the phrase from my original update.

Yes, I can revert updates (uninstall service packs, hotfixes or restore the operating system to a previous state/image)

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5 Answers 5

Reset to default
22

If you update your browser, you might want to rollback the update or to undo it.
Mostly used in database management, I often hear/read about rollback of driver updates or program installs.

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5
  • :) Glad to have helped
    – mplungjan
    Mar 8, 2011 at 13:07
  • "Backdate" usually means to change the date of a document, but not its content. "Restore" might be possible here.
    – The Raven
    Mar 8, 2011 at 17:03
  • @Mahnax you gotta be kiddin' ?
    – mplungjan
    Apr 7, 2012 at 15:44
  • @mplungjan Uh, there was no period. I added one. Is that a problem?
    – user11550
    Apr 7, 2012 at 16:10
  • I know - I can see how the lack of a period must have made you desperate to edit my 1 year old post ;))) SRSLY?
    – mplungjan
    Apr 7, 2012 at 16:26
13

It depends.

  • If you just don't update stuff, you let it become obsolete/old/out-of-date, let it age, olden, or dust. A stronger and more colloquial expression would be, you let it rot. However, the most straightforward thing to say would be, you just don't update it.
  • If you actively perform the opposite of updating, you make it old or revert it to an older state. A more eccentric word would be, you antique it.
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8

If you don't update it, you leave it as it is, fail to maintain it, or simply ignore it. There is no "downdate" you can perform.

You could, however, "revert" it, as we do for edits on this site.

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1
3

I think "date" could be seen as an antonym for "update." To date something can mean to assign to a particular time. If something is dated, in this sense, it is not, or no longer, updated. Similarly, something "outdated" could be considered the opposite of something updated.

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6
  • 1
    Sorry but this is at best a very exotic suggestion. No native English-speaking engineer I know would assume that "dating" something had anything to do with reversing an update.
    – user1579
    Mar 8, 2011 at 13:44
  • From NSOED: date v. t. & i. Mark as or bear evidence of being of a certain date; make, be, or become outdated. Update v. t. Bring up to date. Sure, not common usage in technical circles, but worth a down vote?
    – Callithumpian
    Mar 8, 2011 at 14:06
  • 2
    @Callithumpian: I think so, and I don't often downvote. This answer could seriously mislead a non-native speaker.
    – user1579
    Mar 8, 2011 at 14:08
  • 2
    ...thereby demonstrating my point nicely.
    – user1579
    Mar 8, 2011 at 16:04
  • @Rhodri: I certainly do not want to mislead, but I would like to defend my line of thinking in finding an antonym for update that could be used in everyday speech or writing where rollback would make no sense. Would you also label these synonyms of date misleading: antiquate, archaize, obsolesce, obsolete?
    – Callithumpian
    Mar 8, 2011 at 20:01
1

The only antonyms reported by Thesaurus.com are antique, and make old.

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1
  • or putting piles of dust into my computer or applying other techniques used in restoring antiquaries? This is disappointing answer for a programmer. I wonder why had you removed the "technical" tag from my original question by your editing?
    – Gennady Vanin Геннадий Ванин
    Mar 9, 2011 at 2:10

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