disavowing

verb

present participle of disavow
1
as in denying
to declare not to be true disavowed the testimony that she had given earlier in the trial

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refusing
to refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as one's responsibility the government will disavow any knowledge of your mission

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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 disavowing But as a candidate for governor, Hong had softened her tone while not disavowing her past statements. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 Progressive leaders on Monday sought to validate the success of Platner’s campaign in energizing Maine voters while disavowing Platner. — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 The Washington County Board on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution disavowing the past practice of racial covenants and informing the public of their existence in the county. — Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026 There was an answer to that when Clivillés posted upset messages Thursday, disavowing Williams and showing some clear resentment there. — Chris Willman, Variety, 28 May 2026 Activist groups seeking to pause or slow the development of AI are disavowing violence after a person with strong anti-AI views was accused of attacking Sam Altman’s San Francisco residence with a Molotov cocktail Friday. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 15 Apr. 2026 When pressed on disavowing Piker’s controversial comments, El Sayed declined to distance himself from Piker. — Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 8 Apr. 2026 Pins disavowing the Iranian regime’s crackdown on protesters (that featured the outline of Iran with a ribbon) were passed out to attendees of the Academy Awards luncheon in February, and could possibly appear on the Oscars carpet. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 5 Mar. 2026 Some Republicans have no problem strongly disavowing the sentiment and calling for the members of the group to resign their positions. — Emily Brooks, The Hill, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disavowing
  1. denying
  2. refusing
  3. refuting
  4. rejecting
Verb
  • The film follows a daughter trying to accompany her mother through her final stage, navigating the challenge of remaining close without denying the loss or imposing a particular way of experiencing it.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Ridley Scott’s representatives are denying the recent report that the director blamed his Gladiator II star Paul Mescal for the film’s underwhelming box office numbers.
    — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of denying
Verb
  • Biscayne 21’s declaration — the document that establishes the condominium — required a unanimous vote to terminate the building’s condo association, a goal that seemed unlikely with a group of residents refusing to sell.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Court records show Romo was cited for refusing to take a test for intoxication and first offense OWI.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of refusing
Verb
  • Brittany Howard, the band’s lead singer and charismatic frontwoman, has spent much of the past decade refuting that notion.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2026
  • So thankful to Alabama Athletics for refuting it on my behalf.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of refuting
Verb
  • A lot of communities across the country are rejecting new data centers.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The council then has the final say in approving — or rejecting — Lucas’ nomination.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of rejecting

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disavowed
disavowing
disavows
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Cite this Entry

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

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