diff --git a/docs/markdown/snippets/environment_unset.md b/docs/markdown/snippets/environment_unset.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..887bc0d47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/markdown/snippets/environment_unset.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+## New `unset()` method on `environment` objects
+
+[[@env]] now has an [[env.unset]] method to ensure an existing environment
+is *not* defined.
diff --git a/docs/yaml/objects/env.yaml b/docs/yaml/objects/env.yaml
index d784c68b8..714da4fe4 100644
--- a/docs/yaml/objects/env.yaml
+++ b/docs/yaml/objects/env.yaml
@@ -82,3 +82,10 @@ methods:
     description: The values to set
 
   kwargs_inherit: env.append
+
+- name: unset
+  returns: void
+  since: 1.4.0
+  description: |
+    Unset the specified environment variable. If this variable does not exist,
+    nothing happens.
diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreter/interpreterobjects.py b/mesonbuild/interpreter/interpreterobjects.py
index 4320cf52e..9aefc2f97 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreter/interpreterobjects.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreter/interpreterobjects.py
@@ -285,6 +285,7 @@ class EnvironmentVariablesHolder(ObjectHolder[mesonlib.EnvironmentVariables], Mu
     def __init__(self, obj: mesonlib.EnvironmentVariables, interpreter: 'Interpreter'):
         super().__init__(obj, interpreter)
         self.methods.update({'set': self.set_method,
+                             'unset': self.unset_method,
                              'append': self.append_method,
                              'prepend': self.prepend_method,
                              })
@@ -309,6 +310,12 @@ class EnvironmentVariablesHolder(ObjectHolder[mesonlib.EnvironmentVariables], Mu
         name, values = args
         self.held_object.set(name, values, kwargs['separator'])
 
+    @FeatureNew('environment.unset', '1.4.0')
+    @typed_pos_args('environment.unset', str)
+    @noKwargs
+    def unset_method(self, args: T.Tuple[str], kwargs: TYPE_kwargs) -> None:
+        self.held_object.unset(args[0])
+
     @typed_pos_args('environment.append', str, varargs=str, min_varargs=1)
     @typed_kwargs('environment.append', ENV_SEPARATOR_KW)
     def append_method(self, args: T.Tuple[str, T.List[str]], kwargs: 'EnvironmentSeparatorKW') -> None:
diff --git a/mesonbuild/utils/core.py b/mesonbuild/utils/core.py
index 1b005cf95..92f9d2c70 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/utils/core.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/utils/core.py
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ class EnvironmentVariables(HoldableObject):
         self.envvars: T.List[T.Tuple[T.Callable[[T.Dict[str, str], str, T.List[str], str, T.Optional[str]], str], str, T.List[str], str]] = []
         # The set of all env vars we have operations for. Only used for self.has_name()
         self.varnames: T.Set[str] = set()
+        self.unset_vars: T.Set[str] = set()
 
         if values:
             init_func = getattr(self, init_method)
@@ -92,16 +93,30 @@ class EnvironmentVariables(HoldableObject):
         for method, name, values, separator in other.envvars:
             self.varnames.add(name)
             self.envvars.append((method, name, values, separator))
+            if name in self.unset_vars:
+                self.unset_vars.remove(name)
+        self.unset_vars.update(other.unset_vars)
 
     def set(self, name: str, values: T.List[str], separator: str = os.pathsep) -> None:
+        if name in self.unset_vars:
+            raise MesonException(f'You cannot set the already unset variable {name!r}')
         self.varnames.add(name)
         self.envvars.append((self._set, name, values, separator))
 
+    def unset(self, name: str) -> None:
+        if name in self.varnames:
+            raise MesonException(f'You cannot unset the {name!r} variable because it is already set')
+        self.unset_vars.add(name)
+
     def append(self, name: str, values: T.List[str], separator: str = os.pathsep) -> None:
+        if name in self.unset_vars:
+            raise MesonException(f'You cannot append to unset variable {name!r}')
         self.varnames.add(name)
         self.envvars.append((self._append, name, values, separator))
 
     def prepend(self, name: str, values: T.List[str], separator: str = os.pathsep) -> None:
+        if name in self.unset_vars:
+            raise MesonException(f'You cannot prepend to unset variable {name!r}')
         self.varnames.add(name)
         self.envvars.append((self._prepend, name, values, separator))
 
@@ -124,6 +139,8 @@ class EnvironmentVariables(HoldableObject):
         for method, name, values, separator in self.envvars:
             default_value = default_fmt.format(name) if default_fmt else None
             env[name] = method(env, name, values, separator, default_value)
+        for name in self.unset_vars:
+            env.pop(name, None)
         return env
 
 
diff --git a/test cases/common/273 environment/meson.build b/test cases/common/273 environment/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..af15c1b55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/common/273 environment/meson.build	
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+project(
+    'environment',
+    meson_version: '>=1.4.0',
+)
+
+testenv = find_program(files('testenv.py'))
+
+
+env = environment()
+env.unset('foo')
+test('not set', testenv, args: ['foo'], env: env)
+
+testcase expect_error('You cannot set the already unset variable \'foo\'')
+    env.set('foo', 'bar')
+endtestcase
+
+testcase expect_error('You cannot append to unset variable \'foo\'')
+    env.append('foo', 'bar')
+endtestcase
+
+testcase expect_error('You cannot prepend to unset variable \'foo\'')
+    env.prepend('foo', 'bar')
+endtestcase
+
+
+env1 = environment('foo=bar', method: 'append', separator: ':')
+env1.append('foo', 'baz', separator: ':')
+test('append', testenv, args: ['foo', 'bar:baz'], env: env1)
+
+testcase expect_error('You cannot unset the \'foo\' variable because it is already set')
+    env1.unset('foo')
+endtestcase
+
+
+env2 = environment(['foo=baz'], method: 'prepend', separator: ':')
+env2.prepend('foo', 'bar', separator: ':')
+test('prepend', testenv, args: ['foo', 'bar:baz'], env: env2)
+
+testcase expect_error('You cannot unset the \'foo\' variable because it is already set')
+    env2.unset('foo')
+endtestcase
+
+
+env3 = environment({'foo': 'foobar'}, method: 'set', separator: ':')
+env3.set('foo', 'qux')
+test('reset', testenv, args: ['foo', 'qux'], env: env3)
+
+testcase expect_error('You cannot unset the \'foo\' variable because it is already set')
+    env3.unset('foo')
+endtestcase
diff --git a/test cases/common/273 environment/testenv.py b/test cases/common/273 environment/testenv.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1a59b8237
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/common/273 environment/testenv.py	
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+import os
+import sys
+
+key = sys.argv[1]
+expected = sys.argv[2] if len(sys.argv) > 2 else None
+
+if os.environ.get(key) == expected:
+    sys.exit(0)
+
+sys.exit(f'Expected {expected!r}, was {os.environ.get(key)!r}')