Synonym Chooser

How is the word renounce distinct from other similar verbs?

The words abdicate and resign are common synonyms of renounce. While all three words mean "to give up a position with no possibility of resuming it," renounce may replace it but often implies additionally a sacrifice for a greater end.

renounced her inheritance by marrying a commoner

When could abdicate be used to replace renounce?

Although the words abdicate and renounce have much in common, abdicate implies a giving up of sovereign power or sometimes an evading of responsibility such as that of a parent.

abdicated the throne

When is it sensible to use resign instead of renounce?

While in some cases nearly identical to renounce, resign applies to the giving up of an unexpired office or trust.

resigned from the board

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of renounce Covered expatriates are individuals who meet certain criteria and who renounce U.S. citizenship or abandon long-term resident status. Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Reuters, NBC News, 13 Jan. 2025 China has claimed Taiwan as its territory and has refused to renounce using force against it. Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025 Tomsky even adopted the latter’s citizenship after renouncing his Russian citizenship. Charlie Campbell, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for renounce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for renounce
Verb
  • Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on December 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.
    Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Fifty-seven children have been relinquished under under safe haven laws in Connecticut since 2001, according to public testimony to the Committee on Children.
    Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • But that means patients don’t have the usual right of a trial participant to withdraw from a study at any time, Johnson notes.
    Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2025
  • At the event, Mills publicly refused to comply with Trump’s executive order against trans youth in school sports, which threatens to withdraw federal funding from states that maintain inclusive policies.
    Samantha Riedel, Them, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Massive Payouts Despite Market Results: In late 2024, Peter Rawlinson resigned as CEO of Lucid Group, an electric car maker.
    Chris Westfall, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Soon after Davis’ post, Hawk resigned from his position on the Blue Springs school board.
    Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Cassidy, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, extended Kennedy multiple lifelines to retract unproven claims that some vaccines could cause autism during last week’s three-hour confirmation hearing before the panel.
    Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Feb. 2025
  • But publishers are often slow to retract tainted papers, even when alerted to obvious fraud.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Congress has abdicated its Constitutional duty to be a check on executive overreach.
    Andrew Stanton, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Regretfully, both groups have abdicated their duties.
    Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Their findings paint a more complicated picture, one that her mother has denied.
    Brian Brant, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Many criticized his decision as a capitulation to Donald Trump, though Bezos denied those claims.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Renounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/renounce. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on renounce

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