1
as in relinquishing
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 renouncing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abnegating
Verb
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The Buffalo Bills lasted seven weeks in the pole position before relinquishing the title to the Kansas City Chiefs.—
Scott Phillips,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026 -
Hamas has shown no signs of relinquishing power or its weapons.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Margaret’s father succeeded him as King George VI, and her mother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, never forgave the duke for renouncing his duty to his country.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
29 Dec. 2025
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Ukraine withdrawing from all of the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and Kyiv officially renouncing its aim to join NATO.—
Andrea Shalal,
USA Today,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The United States, in other words, is not just abdicating its role in the current international system.—
ELIZABETH ECONOMY,
Foreign Affairs,
9 Dec. 2025
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After all, Perfidia explodes other archetypes, too—for instance, abdicating her roles as a mother and romantic partner to continue her work.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Uhlaender accused the Canadian team and its coach, Joe Cecchini, of intentionally withdrawing the athletes, deliberately manipulating the field to benefit one of their own sliders’ bids for qualification.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
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In so doing, avoid withdrawing NATO’s commitment to defend NATO member states’ remote, former (and, in the case of Cyprus, coincidentally insular) colonial territories was thus established as a norm for the alliance, not an exception – one that is newly relevant once again.—
Barry Scott Zellen,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Perhaps more poignantly, various DOJ and FBI officials have refused to pursue the administration’s agenda to go after journalists, with a number resigning their positions, Deadline can confirm.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
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The other will search for the next executive director to replace Greg Scholl, who is resigning in June.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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School public safety had initially reported that a suspect had been taken into custody before retracting that statement.—
Kierra Frazier,
CBS News,
13 Dec. 2025
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This series of exemptions is part of EPA’s suite of PFAS de-regulation that includes approving PFAS-laden pesticides and retracting some of its maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) that were the result of years of careful research and policymaking.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Seniors can go to virtually any doctor (since nearly all doctors accept traditional Medicare) and receive whatever care their doctor orders (since there is no insurance company denying coverage).—
Marianne Pizzitola,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
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The White House referred the Miami Herald to a statement on the DOJ website, denying any credibility in any accusations against the president.—
Claire Healy,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Abnegating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegating. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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