Does the verb “unpublish” exist?
I use a CMS (content management system) where a post or comment is visible to all the users (if there aren't other restrictions) when it is flagged as published. What verb should I use to mean that I changed the status of a post from published to unpublished?
The dictionary reports that unpublished is only an adjective; therefore, I could not write I unpublished the post. I usually write I marked the post as unpublished, but it doesn't sound right to my ears (and it seems using more words than needed).
It’s not listed in any dictionaries, but its meaning is plain from the component morphemes, and is formed by the same process that gives us undo, unbend, undress, unfreeze, and unfold.
Merriam-Webster gives a definition for un-: “do the opposite of: reverse (a specified action) … in verbs formed from verbs.”
It's an interesting exercise in usability. Withdraw is reasonable, but I believe retract to be more accurate for the use-case. Remove brings with it an ambiguity with delete that will leave most users uncertain.
Despite the incorrect use, Unpublish is almost certainly the right answer in this context.
In the computer/internet context, "unpublish" here is just as inevitable as "unfriend" is on Facebook.