repudiate

verb

ri-ˈpyü-dē-ˌāt How to pronounce repudiate (audio)
Definition of repudiatenext
1
as in to deny
to declare not to be true vigorously repudiated the charge that she had lied on her résumé

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to refuse
to refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as one's responsibility the angry mother bitterly repudiated her teenaged daughter, telling her that she never wanted to see or hear from her again

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to reject
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to we didn't like the terms, so we repudiated the contract

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to withdraw
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to) the producers of the hit TV show threatened to take the disgruntled actor to court if he attempted to repudiate his contract

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of repudiate are decline, refuse, reject, and spurn. While all these words mean "to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering," repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

When can decline be used instead of repudiate?

The words decline and repudiate can be used in similar contexts, but decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

When is it sensible to use refuse instead of repudiate?

While in some cases nearly identical to repudiate, refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

Where would reject be a reasonable alternative to repudiate?

The words reject and repudiate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

When is spurn a more appropriate choice than repudiate?

In some situations, the words spurn and repudiate are roughly equivalent. However, spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

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 repudiate As far back as August, his predecessor, Gov. Mike Parson, urged the Royals to pick a stadium site after Jackson County voters in the April 2024 vote repudiated a plan for a Crossroads ballpark. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2025 Getty Images The broad effort is not meant to repudiate Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Joe Biden or any other politician, The People's Union says on its website. —Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025 Chinese officials, however, have repudiated the president’s claims about negotiations and called for an end to unilateral tariffs. —Katie Lauer, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2025 To make, not impose, peace Mr. Trump repeatedly cast himself as a peacemaker but not as a peace-imposer, repudiating his predecessors – Republican and Democratic alike – who sought to remake the Middle East in the West’s image and according to Western values. —Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for repudiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repudiate
  1. deny
  2. refuse
  3. reject
  4. withdraw
  5. refute
  6. decline
  7. retract
  8. renounce
Verb
  • When Nguyen refused the search and denied the allegation, one deputy allegedly called him a liar and threatened to arrest him.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2025
  • Trump denies writing the letter and sued the newspaper's publisher over the story July 18.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 22 July 2025
Definition of deny
Verb
  • Kirton on Friday acknowledged he’d been given the training directive in 2022, but said his attorney advised him against attending or signing the form because Bloomfield leaders refused to show them the investigative report.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2025
  • The Yankees’ lineup, meanwhile, didn’t put up a fight against Spencer Strider, who refused to surrender a run, walked three and struck out eight over six innings.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025
Definition of refuse
Verb
  • New York’s 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Maxwell’s appeal effort last year, finding that the deal drawn up in 2007 and approved the following year only protected Epstein and his coconspirators in South Florida.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 15 July 2025
  • If anyone else tries such commands, the AGI and ASI reject them summarily.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Definition of reject
Verb
  • Stanley said crews were initially able to fight the fire near a chlorine leak at a water treatment facility, but eventually had to withdraw due to safety concerns for pilots who could breathe toxic fumes.
    — Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 15 July 2025
  • Topline Half of the roughly 4,000 National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles last month amid immigration raid protests will be withdrawn, the Trump administration announced Tuesday, calling off the soldiers weeks after California Gov. Gavin Newsom unsuccessfully tried to block their deployment.
    — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • Bondi also said that although the names of several other high-profile figures were mentioned, the investigators did not find a client list or evidence refuting that Epstein died by suicide.
    — Jade Walker, CNN Money, 24 July 2025
  • But Hunter was quick to refute this claim, arguing that at large events where the president is meeting several people, introductions are the norm.
    — Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 July 2025
Definition of refute
Verb
  • Brown-Forman's sales declined 5% in the 2025 fiscal year, partly due to ongoing tariff disputes.
    — Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 25 July 2025
  • Though the state gained thousands of new residents in 2023, most Wisconsin counties are expected to face declining populations by 2050, according to a January report from the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
    — Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
Definition of decline
Verb
  • The doors also retract to create a sense of indoor/outdoor living.
    — Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 21 July 2025
  • Louisville Metro Police officials retracted a statement made July 14 about the cause of an evacuation of the Kentucky Exposition Center, where officers were dispatched July 13 on multiple reports of an active shooter.
    — Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 15 July 2025
Definition of retract
Verb
  • Crucially, the tax law defines the expatriation date for various classes of cases, such as those who renounce U.S. citizenship, or give up long term residency.
    — Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
  • In this entertaining sequel, Lois learns Clark's identity, prompting him to renounce his Kryptonian superpowers — a process that, as his late mom (Susannah York) repeatedly tells him, is irreversible.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 July 2025
Definition of renounce

Browse Nearby Words

republishing
repudiate
repudiated
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Cite this Entry

“Repudiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repudiate. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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