avowed

[uh-voud]

See more synonyms for avowed on Thesaurus.com

adjective

acknowledged; declared: an avowed enemy.

Origin of avowed

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at avow, -ed²

Related formsa·vow·ed·ly

[uh-vou-id-lee] /əˈvaʊ ɪd li/, adverba·vow·ed·ness, nounself-a·vowed, adjectiveun·a·vowed, adjective

avow

[uh-vou]

verb (used with object)

to declare frankly or openly; own; acknowledge; confess; admit: He avowed himself an opponent of all alliances.

Origin of avow

1150–1200; Middle English avowen < Old French avoue(r) < Latin advocāre. See advocate

Related formsa·vow·a·ble, adjectivea·vow·er, nounre·a·vow, verb (used with object)un·a·vow·a·ble, adjectiveun·a·vow·a·ble·ness, nounun·a·vow·a·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for avowed

professed, accepted, acknowledged, admitted, affirmed, avowedly

Examples from the Web for avowed

Contemporary Examples of avowed

An avowed creationist who consults for a food lobby hardly seems an appropriate choice to fulfill these criteria.
The Heart Association’s Junk Science Diet
Dr. Barbara H. Roberts
May 22, 2014
Should an avowed Marxist professor whose field of study is the 0.01 percent therefore be paid $15,000,000 a year?
That’s All a Nobel Prize Winner Gets Paid?
Michael Tomasky
April 18, 2014
And it may cease to be a worry at all if the avowed opponents of stop-and-frisk have their way.
Antiq Hennis’s Bloody Stroller Shames New York City Mayor’s Race
Michael Daly
September 4, 2013
A dishy book from an avowed sociopath has stirred up an awkward debate: perhaps all of us have a bit of the personality disorder.
How to Spot a Sociopath (Hint: It Could Be You)
Caitlin Dickson
June 25, 2013
His avowed goal had once been to get his American citizenship by boxing for the U.S. Olympic team and then turn pro.
Boston Suspects Tamerlan & Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, From Boxing to Bombs
Michael Daly
April 20, 2013

Historical Examples of avowed

Nor were they wrong, for such is the avowed aim of the "Forward Policy."
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
I have avowed them with an earnestness that I believe is without example: and why?
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
But truly, as he avowed, he was entering the fifth lustrum beyond it.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
Take some of the avowed sublimities of the Rev. Mr. Cumming.
Leading Articles on Various Subjects
Hugh Miller
Incidentally, they were avowed friends of the former electrician, Parker.
Cap'n Eri
Joseph Crosby Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for avowed

avow

verb (tr)

to state or affirm
to admit openly
law rare to justify or maintain (some action taken)

Derived Formsavowable, adjectiveavowal, nounavowed (əˈvaʊd), adjectiveavowedly (əˈvaʊɪdlɪ), adverbavower, noun

Word Origin for avow

C13: from Old French avouer to confess, from Latin advocāre to appeal to, call upon; see avouch, advocate

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

Word Origin and History for avowed

avow

early 13c., from Anglo-French avouer, Old French avoer "acknowledge, accept, recognize," especially as a protector (Modern French avouer), from Latin advocare (see advocate). A synonym of avouch (q.v.), which tends to contain the more technical, legal aspect of the word. Related: Avowed; avowing.