abdication
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
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.
She regrouped with the left-wing bloc and parliament re-elected her prime minister five days later, making her Sweden's first woman head of government since the abdication of Queen Ulrika Eleonora in 1720.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The abdication of curatorial responsibility here might have been at least partially forgivable if the show were stuffed with so much engaging work that finding a unifying through-line proved nearly impossible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
At the time of the gift, Elizabeth's parents were the Duke and Duchess of York, before her father ascended to the throne as George VI, following his brother Edward VIII's abdication.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025
Such a recognition is an abdication not only of basic human decency, but also of national interest and strategic sanity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
