Synonyms

repudiate

American

[ri-pyoo-dee-eyt] / rɪˈpyu diˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

to reject as having no authority or binding force.

to repudiate a claim.

Synonyms:

disclaim, discard, disavow

Antonyms:

accept
to cast off or disown.

to repudiate a son.
to reject with disapproval or condemnation.

to repudiate a new doctrine.

Synonyms:

disapprove, condemn, disown, renounce

Antonyms:

approve
to reject with denial.

to repudiate a charge as untrue.
to refuse to acknowledge and pay (a debt), as a state, municipality, etc.

repudiate British

/ rɪˈpjuːdɪˌeɪt /

verb

to reject the authority or validity of; refuse to accept or ratify

Congress repudiated the treaty that the President had negotiated
to refuse to acknowledge or pay (a debt)
to cast off or disown (a son, lover, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of repudiate

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin repudiātus (past participle of repudiāre “to reject, refuse”), equivalent to repudi(um) “a casting off, divorce” ( re- + pud(ere) “to make ashamed, feel shame” + -ium noun suffix ) + -ātus past participle sufffix; see re-, pudendum, -ium, -ate ¹

Explanation

To repudiate something is to reject it, or to refuse to accept or support it. If you grow up religious, but repudiate all organized religion as an adult, you might start spending holidays at the movies, or just going to work. This verb usually refers to rejecting something that has authority, such as a legal contract, doctrine, or claim. In connection with debts or other obligations, repudiate is used in the specialized sense "to refuse to recognize or pay." If referring to a child or a romantic parner, repudiate is used in the sense "to disown, cast off." This verb is derived from Latin repudiare, "to put away, divorce."

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Vocabulary lists containing repudiate

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Shortly after the pope stopped speaking, an unidentified woman yelled: "Repudiate the doctrine of discovery! Renounce the papal bulls!"

From Reuters • Jul. 25, 2022

Repudiate the past Accepting the offence caused in the past is a start, and Davidson has suggested he has regrets about characters like Chalky White, with his fake Jamaican accent.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2011

It could almost be the title for an Allen Drury novel: Apologize and Repudiate.

From Time Magazine Archive

"What!" he said, "Repudiate the draft of Colonel Gorgas?"

From The Supplies for the Confederate Army, how they were obtained in Europe and how paid for. by Huse, Caleb

Repudiate this principle and the demands of Ireland, Egypt, India to the benefits of self-determination became unanswerable.

From The Inside Story of the Peace Conference by Dillon, Emile Joseph

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023