It seems rather odd that there is a verb for wanting something, but not for the opposite, as it means we always have to phrase things in terms of wanting.
For instance there's an opposite of having with lacking, finding with losing and creating with destroying, but why not with wanting?
When I say "I don't want to go there" I may want it to be understood that either I have no desire to go there but also don't have a desire to not go there; it's not something I'm too bothered about or that I desire to not go there, but it's ambiguous. You can obviously tell in the context, but it'd be useful to have a verb that doesn't rely on context and I can't think of one.
I've considered eschew and refuse, but they're not suitable.
Can anyone tell me?
EDIT: Just to clarify, I'm looking for a word that only means the exact opposite of wanting. I'm not looking for a word that means both indifferent and to not want. I want a word that specifically means to not want something, but stronger than just saying
I don't want
As this is ambiguous as it also refers to a state of indifference.
Best Answer
The underlying difference between wanting and your other possibilities is that the others, describing active operations, are clearly 2-valued. "Wanting", on the other hand, describes a mental state which can inhabit a continuum, ranging from desiring a thing or consequence, to rejecting a thing or consequence, with a neutral state being part of the continuum. The neutral state, or "don't-care" is an important possibility in any discussion of desire, so it should not be overlooked.
As a result, there is no particular reason to expect that a single word will encompass both the neutral and the negative. The simple negation ("I don't want") is generally adequate to express the lack of wanting, and if the exact form of not wanting is important, then the choices such as "I don't care" or "I really don't want" can be used.