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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.

Last fall, Krans also released a mandala-shaped board game called Renunciation after studying game design for more than a year with a group at New York University.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2024

Every state is different but you’ll most likely need to file a Renunciation of Nominated Executor form to the court system in the county in which your parents reside.

From Slate • Nov. 11, 2022

Think of the Great Masculine Renunciation, the term coined by the psychoanalyst John Carl Flügel to denote a general eschewing of extravagance in male dress at the turn of the 19th century.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2014

I enjoyed the word play here, and of all his names, "Sameold Goodold" and "Hankernot Renunciation" appealed.

From The Guardian • Jul. 12, 2011

Renunciation of a dark hour was forgotten in a low, glad cry.

From The Higher Court by Daggett, Mary Stewart

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