abnegate

verb

ˈab-ni-ˌgāt How to pronounce abnegate (audio)
Definition of abnegatenext
1
as in to relinquish
to give up (as a position of authority) formally abnegated all claims to the deceased lord's domain

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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

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abnegate
  1. relinquish
  2. renounce
  3. abdicate
  4. withdraw
  5. resign
  6. retract
  7. deny
Verb
  • Venus Venus will soon be relinquishing its dominance of the early evening sky.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • While Velocity Arts is within the city’s service area, the Utilities Department may relinquish this area to Evergy or another third party provider to serve the project, according to city documents.
    — Taylor O'Connor August 28, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of relinquish
Verb
  • Know More Andrews wants the party to embrace term limits and renounce congressional stock trading and corporate contributions.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said every actor in Hong Kong civil society who assumed that renouncing violence and working within the law would be fine has to revise that assumption.
    — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of renounce
Verb
  • The popular king modernized the royal house but refused to follow in the footsteps of other aging monarchs who have abdicated in recent times.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Around the same time, his former deputy private secretary suggested that Harald should abdicate at the egalitarian country's normal retirement age of 67.
    — Terje Solsvik, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of abdicate
Verb
  • When combined with a hot blanket of the humidity the city has endured throughout the summer, players could be forced to withdraw from their matches or push through, risking injury.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Although the proposal will remain on Thursday’s agenda because of the 72-hour posting requirement, Kayatta said it will effectively be withdrawn during the meeting with authorization from Board President Tara Jeane.
    — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • This week, multiple deputies in the Hall County Sheriff's Office resigned amid ongoing Flock misuse investigations.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Russini resigned from The Athletic in April, less than a week after photos of her and the married Vrabel, 51, at an Arizona hotel drew scrutiny.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of resign
Verb
  • The study was found to be fraudulent; eventually, it was retracted entirely.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • So far, no cinema chains have seemingly gone along with the boycott (NewsCord falsely reported one was going to ban the film, then retracted the claim).
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of retract
Verb
  • Anderson, who long had been considered a suspect in Shakur’s killing, denied involvement before his death in an unrelated Compton shooting in 1998 at age 23.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Edwards has denied the allegations, but ended his reelection bid after the House Ethics Committee posted their investigative findings last month.
    — Claudia Grisales, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of deny

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Cite this Entry

“Abnegate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegate. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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