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renunciation

American  
[ri-nuhn-see-ey-shuhn, -shee-] / rɪˌnʌn siˈeɪ ʃən, -ʃi- /

noun

  1. an act or instance of relinquishing, abandoning, repudiating, or sacrificing something, as a right, title, person, or ambition.

    the king's renunciation of the throne.

    Synonyms:
    disavowal, denial, repudiation, abandonment

renunciation British  
/ rɪˌnʌnsɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act or an instance of renouncing

  2. a formal declaration renouncing something

  3. stock exchange the surrender to another of the rights to buy new shares in a rights issue

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of renunciation

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin renūnciātiōn- (stem of renūnciātiō ) proclamation, equivalent to renūnciāt ( us ) (past participle of renūntiāre to renounce ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If you reject something or disown it, you can call this renunciation. Sorry, your renunciation of your membership in the American Association of Retired People will not make you any younger. Use the noun renunciation especially when you mean you have given up your religious or political beliefs or some cause you previously supported. When you drop a political party to become an independent, you mean it to be a renunciation of all the infighting, backstabbing, and finger pointing that have become "politics as usual."

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Vocabulary lists containing renunciation

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.

The lower fee for renouncing citizenship “may remove a symbolic administrative barrier to renunciation, but it does not change the core financial analysis,” Concepción said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026

But Indian authorities have refused to accept this in place of a renunciation certificate, forcing the sisters to move court.

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025

Humanity could recover its moral bearings and pursue the abolition of nuclear weapons and the renunciation of war, or accept the inevitability that such man-made forces would ultimately abolish most or all of us.

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2025

A patchwork of statutes and treaties already offered about two-thirds of Native Americans citizenship, sometimes in exchange for land allotments that fractured reservations, gestures of assimilation, military service and even the renunciation of tribal traditions.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2024

Finally, Bobby wrote another letter to the U.S. embassy in Tokyo insisting that they send someone, and in case they didn’t comply, he appended his renunciation.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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