renunciation
Americannoun
noun
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the act or an instance of renouncing
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a formal declaration renouncing something
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stock exchange the surrender to another of the rights to buy new shares in a rights issue
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of renunciation
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin renūnciātiōn- (stem of renūnciātiō ) proclamation, equivalent to renūnciāt ( us ) (past participle of renūntiāre to renounce ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
If you reject something or disown it, you can call this renunciation. Sorry, your renunciation of your membership in the American Association of Retired People will not make you any younger. Use the noun renunciation especially when you mean you have given up your religious or political beliefs or some cause you previously supported. When you drop a political party to become an independent, you mean it to be a renunciation of all the infighting, backstabbing, and finger pointing that have become "politics as usual."
Vocabulary lists containing renunciation
100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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All Quiet on the Western Front
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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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.
As a Congress expert who loves the institution and profoundly respects its constitutionally mandated role, I have found this renunciation of responsibility difficult to watch.
From Salon • Nov. 1, 2025
But Indian authorities have refused to accept this in place of a renunciation certificate, forcing the sisters to move court.
From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025
A patchwork of statutes and treaties already offered about two-thirds of Native Americans citizenship, sometimes in exchange for land allotments that fractured reservations, gestures of assimilation, military service and even the renunciation of tribal traditions.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2024
“Songs of Surrender” is an act of renunciation, drastically scaling down songs that once strove to shake entire stadiums.
From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2023
It was well for him, with his chivalry and mysticism and all the compensations of the male world, to make the grand renunciation.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
