recant

[ri-kant]

See more synonyms for recant on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to withdraw or disavow (a statement, opinion, etc.), especially formally; retract.

verb (used without object)

to withdraw or disavow a statement, opinion, etc., especially formally.

Origin of recant

1525–35; < Latin recantāre to sing back, sing again, equivalent to re- re- + cantāre, frequentative of canere to sing; cf. chant

Related formsre·can·ta·tion

[ree-kan-tey-shuhn] /ˌri kænˈteɪ ʃən/, nounre·cant·er, nounre·cant·ing·ly, adverbun·re·cant·ed, adjectiveun·re·cant·ing, adjective

Can be confusedrecant recount

Synonyms for recant

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1. revoke, recall, rescind, deny.

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

Related Words for recantation

about-face, denial, revocation, recall, abrogation, abjuration, contradiction, annulment, abnegation, reversal, withdrawal, nullification, repudiation, disclaimer, disavowal, volte-face, palinode

Examples from the Web for recantation

Contemporary Examples of recantation

Still, the recantation required Baur to notify a judge and let the courts decide it credible or not.
Casandra Kennedy Recants Rape Charge Against Her Father, Freed After 9 Years
Winston Ross
April 10, 2012

Historical Examples of recantation

He persevered in Calvinism after the recantation of the King.
The Memoirs of Madame de Montespan, Complete
Madame La Marquise De Montespan
Becoming, however, sensible of his error, he publicly renounced his recantation.
Fox's Book of Martyrs
John Foxe
You say this slavery business is to last until I make my recantation?
Little Miss Grouch
Samuel Hopkins Adams
With regard to the recantation, however, let me say at once, I shall not sign it!
History of the Moravian Church
J. E. Hutton
He was restored to his pleasant quarters in Newgate, and recanted his recantation.
The Valet's Tragedy and Other Stories
Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for recantation

recant

verb

to repudiate or withdraw (a former belief or statement), esp formally in public

Derived Formsrecantation (ˌriːkænˈteɪʃən), nounrecanter, noun

Word Origin for recant

C16: from Latin recantāre to sing again, from re- + cantāre to sing; see chant

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 recantation

1540s, noun of action from recant.

recant

1530s, from Latin recantare "recall, revoke," from re- "back" (see re-) + cantare "to chant" (see chant (v.)). A word from the Reformation. Loan-translation of Greek palinoidein "recant," from palin "back" + oeidein "to sing." Related: Recanted; recanting.