abdication
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
- nonabdication noun
Etymology
Origin of abdication
First recorded in 1545–55, abdication is from the Latin word abdicātiōn- (stem of abdicātiō ). See abdicate, -ion
Explanation
Abdication is the formal act of stepping down from something, especially a king giving up the throne. An abdication is a type of resignation. When a king — or another person in power — gives up that position, they abdicate. Such an act is then called an abdication. The roots of this word mean declare in Latin, and that's an important part of the meaning. Abdicating isn't just quitting: it's formally quitting, including a declaration of quitting. There’s no such thing as a private abdication. After an abdication, there's a vacuum of power, and there may be a power struggle to fill the empty position.
Vocabulary lists containing abdication
Vocabulary From the Ninth Democratic Debate, April 14, 2016
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Breadcrumbs
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The Family Romanov
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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.
It isn’t enough to be enraged about this national abdication; we need to build a plan to fix it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
It also alleged that the university’s “cowardly abdication of its duty to ensure unfettered access to UCLA’s educational opportunities” violated the students’ freedom of speech and other rights.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2025
The works taken are of the late Queen Elizabeth II and of Margrethe II, who was Queen of Denmark until her abdication earlier this year.
From BBC • Nov. 1, 2024
Lewis said he knew that some readers would view the enforced neutrality as an "abdication of responsibility" before painting it as a return to the paper's mission.
From Salon • Oct. 25, 2024
And by destruction I mean precisely the abdication by Americans of any effort really to be free.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
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.
