Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for renunciation. Search instead for renunciations.
Synonyms

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

Derived 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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

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

Often described as Islamic mysticism, Sufism - which her husband says he has been interested in for more than three decades - emphasises the inner search for God and the renunciation of worldly matters.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2024

“Songs of Surrender” is an act of renunciation, drastically scaling down songs that once strove to shake entire stadiums.

From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2023

Bobby wrote to the U.S. embassy in Tokyo asking them to send a member of the diplomatic staff to the detention center so that an official could accept his citizenship renunciation.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "renunciation" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com