abdicate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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abdicationnoun
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abdicatornoun
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abdicableadjective
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abdicativeadjective
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nonabdicativeadjective
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unabdicatedadjective
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unabdicatingadjective
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unabdicativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abdicatesimple
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abdicatessimple
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have abdicatedperfect
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has abdicatedperfect
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am abdicatingprogressive
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are abdicatingprogressive
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is abdicatingprogressive
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have been abdicatingperfect progressive
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has been abdicatingperfect progressive
Past
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abdicatedsimple
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had abdicatedperfect
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was abdicatingprogressive
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were abdicatingprogressive
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had been abdicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abdicate
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin abdicāt(us) “renounced,” past participle of abdicāre “to renounce,” from ab- ab- + dicāre “to indicate, consecrate”
Explanation
Sometimes someone in power might decide to give up that power and step down from his or her position. When they do that, they abdicate their authority, giving up all duties and perks of the job. The original meaning of the verb abdicate came from the combination of the Latin ab- "away" and dicare "proclaim." (Note that in the charming relationships between languages with common roots, the Spanish word for "he says" is dice, which comes directly from dicare.) The word came to refer to disowning one's children, and it wasn't until the 17th century that the first use of the word relating to giving up power or public office was recorded.
Vocabulary lists containing abdicate
The Declaration of Independence
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100 Top "SAT" Words
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You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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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.
See Examples For:
“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
In 2006, when a popular uprising forced the king to abdicate, Thapa was already a prominent figure in the pro-democracy movement and had been jailed several times for his role in street protests.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Yet sometimes miracles happen, and Senates don’t entirely abdicate their constitutional advice and consent roles.
From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2025
"I abdicate my throne in favour of my son on the understanding that no further inquiry into my alleged connection with the Malabar Hill Tragedy will be made," he wrote to the British government.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2025
“The Kaiser must abdicate, otherwise we shall have the revolution,” he was told.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
It may serve his interests by distracting and deflecting but abdicates presidential responsibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025
An eccentric Danish queen abdicates - will others follow?
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2024
There's a lot of speculation over who might take over in her stead as Lakshmi abdicates her throne.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2023
Better because it abdicates the throne of “is.”
From Slate ● May 14, 2019
Napoleon is deposed by Senate, April 1st, and abdicates, April 11th; liberal constitution introduced by Louis XVIII.,
From Liberty In The Nineteenth Century by Holland, Frederic May
Sheikh Hamad voluntarily abdicated for his son in 2013.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
The plan is to invest in “everything our country has outsourced and abdicated over recent decades,” Combs says.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
Executives say the looser rules will allow them to compete more in corners of lending they have largely abdicated because of the capital costs, like to riskier companies or private-equity firms striking deals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Ayad Akhtar’s “McNeal,” which had its premiere last year at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater in a production starring Robert Downey Jr., failed precisely because it abdicated this responsibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
Father told me he has been expecting this to happen ever since June, when Ismail Pasha, the khedive of Egypt, abdicated the throne and his son Mehmet Tewfik Pasha became the new khedive.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
“Do I recommend not getting involved? Yes,” she added, abdicating all responsibility for the safety of the neighborhood.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
It is “unfair to say the court is abdicating its authority,” said the ex-prosecutor, who also requested anonymity to speak candidly about the district’s judges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
"She is abdicating her duty, and this is something that she needs to decide, not a jury. It's a question of law, not a question of fact."
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2024
Now that she is abdicating in favour of Crown Prince Frederik, 55, the question is whether she has broken a taboo for all three Nordic royal families.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2024
He wanted to lie down in this redolent field, curl up in the green womb in the dazzling aura of these mountains, growing warm and drowsy under the sun, abdicating all responsibilities—and sleep.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
