RELINQUISH Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'relinquish' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of relinquish are abandon , resign , surrender , waive , and yield . While all these words mean "to give up completely," relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness. // relinquished her crown

Q: Where would 'abandon' be a reasonable alternative to 'relinquish'?

While the synonyms abandon and relinquish are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up. // abandoned all hope

Q: In what contexts can 'resign' take the place of 'relinquish'?

The synonyms resign and relinquish are sometimes interchangeable, but resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle. // resigned her position

Q: When is 'surrender' a more appropriate choice than 'relinquish'?

In some situations, the words surrender and relinquish are roughly equivalent. However, surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist. // surrendered their claims

Q: When can 'waive' be used instead of 'relinquish'?

The words waive and relinquish can be used in similar contexts, but waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion. // waived the right to a trial by jury

Q: When could 'yield' be used to replace 'relinquish'?

Although the words yield and relinquish have much in common, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force. // the troops yielded ground grudgingly

relinquish

verb

ri-ˈliŋ-kwish

Definition of relinquish

as in to surrender

to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress the boy reluctantly relinquished the illegal fireworks to the police officer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to abdicate

to give up (as a position of authority) formally the retiring CEO relinquished his position to the company's vice president with very mixed feelings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word relinquish different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of relinquish are abandon, resign, surrender, waive, and yield. While all these words mean "to give up completely," relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

Where would abandon be a reasonable alternative to relinquish?

While the synonyms abandon and relinquish are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

In what contexts can resign take the place of relinquish?

The synonyms resign and relinquish are sometimes interchangeable, but resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

When is surrender a more appropriate choice than relinquish?

In some situations, the words surrender and relinquish are roughly equivalent. However, surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

When can waive be used instead of relinquish?

The words waive and relinquish can be used in similar contexts, but waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

When could yield be used to replace relinquish?

Although the words yield and relinquish have much in common, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

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 relinquish Tate Nagy relinquished punt return duties to Keaton Kubecka Saturday. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026 One panel was falling, then smashing on the path, lead relinquishing its long grip on the glass. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 Underhill ended the discussion by proposing that Diamantis relinquish the Greek passport to the court when it was returned to him. — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026 Suwarso relinquished his standard four-ticket allocation for the game. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for relinquish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relinquish

Verb

She was ordered to surrender all travel documents, including passports and visas.

— Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Deputies entered the home Friday morning after efforts to persuade Mullennix to surrender were unsuccessful.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of surrender

Verb

After both sisters had abdicated planning the memorial, logistical matters—the casket and its transport, the readings, and, yes, the flowers—had fallen to the front desk volunteer of a church my grandmother no longer attended.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Now, the Department has decided that obedience supersedes all else, requiring us to abdicate our legal and ethical obligations in favor of directions from Washington.

— Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of abdicate

Verb

All of this can make inflation a self-fulfilling prophecy, rendering the monetary policy tools at the Fed's disposal less effective in slowing price growth.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Vivier’s signature buckle can be rendered in gold or silver, with colored brass available on select styles.

— Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of render

Verb

Big banks made changes to overdraft fees and fraud protections following previous testimony, for example, while former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf abruptly resigned in 2016 after stumbling during hearings on the bank’s fake accounts scandal.

— Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
Guilfoyle confirmed her exit in a post on X, shortly after the new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, told reporters that the administration had asked her to resign.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of resign

Verb

Although economic espionage is not without risk, unilaterally renouncing the practice in the current global environment is far more dangerous.

— DAVID S. COHEN, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
China claims Taiwan as its sovereign territory and has never renounced the use of force to achieve unification.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of renounce

Verb

The Democrats were ceding ground on immigration and deeply divided on Israel’s war in Gaza.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
But, for now, the race that will be watched is whether California may cede its status as the top location for Hollywood projects.

— Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cede

Browse Nearby Words

religiousness

relinquish

relinquished

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Relinquish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relinquish. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of relinquish

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes