1
as in to relinquish
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
abnegated all claims to the deceased lord's domain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to renounce
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to)
felt that if the Congress adopted these security measures, it would be abnegating the nation's fundamental commitment to individual rights
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abnegate
Her sins are the sins of loving too much and in too self-abnegating a fashion.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2023
Abnegating this responsibility is going against the will of the people and we were voted in to protect the interests of the people.
—Jan Engoren, Sun-Sentinel.com, 6 July 2017
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2023
Abnegating this responsibility is going against the will of the people and we were voted in to protect the interests of the people.
—Jan Engoren, Sun-Sentinel.com, 6 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abnegate
Verb
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If the pair are Shea’s biological parents, Score and Mills would like to learn more about them — but not necessarily relinquish custody of Shea, Hatfield said.—
Elizabeth Chuck,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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In their eyes, the global economy is to blame for their unsatisfactory job prospects, feminism is to blame for their failures with women, minority rights are forcing them to relinquish their privilege as straight men, and so on.—
Miriam Eve Mora,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Should the chain of citizenship break somewhere along the line, however, where an ancestor renounced their citizenship, rights to Canadian citizenship end there.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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The German Jews were the founders of American Reform Judaism, which renounced dietary laws, bar mitzvahs, and Zionism.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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RadarOnline reported that the King is planning to abdicate soon.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
27 Mar. 2026
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In its most hostile version, the same qualities are recast as evidence of his succumbing to spectacle and abdicating basic architectural responsibility.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the face of growing opposition generated in part by allegations of his misconduct, Gaetz withdrew.—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
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Each retiree withdraws $50,000 per year.—
Doug Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sinagra said that Brooksby resigned as a consequence of the complaints, but disagreed with them.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Recently, Joe Kent, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned earlier this month in opposition to the war, went on Tucker Carlson’s show.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some umbrellas are designed with an easy-push-button open and closure feature that allows users to conveniently push a button to retract the umbrella.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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However, Anthropic later partially retracted the takedown, scaling it down to only one repository and 96 fork URLs.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For certain great artists, Meis believes, the creative act is a safe harbor where life’s pressures, exigencies, and calamities aren’t so much denied or resolved as reimagined as pictorial dramas.—
Jed Perl,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Judge Antonio Arzola denied the request for a standard bond, citing probable cause, and issued an elevated $5,000 bond.—
Nikiya Carrero,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abnegate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegate. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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