repudiate

[ri-pyoo-dee-eyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR repudiate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), re·pu·di·at·ed, re·pu·di·at·ing.

to reject as having no authority or binding force: to repudiate a claim.

to cast off or disown: to repudiate a son.

to reject with disapproval or condemnation: to repudiate a new doctrine.

to reject with denial: to repudiate a charge as untrue.

to refuse to acknowledge and pay (a debt), as a state, municipality, etc.

Origin of repudiate

1535–45; < Latin repudiātus (past participle of repudiāre to reject, refuse), equivalent to repudi(um) a casting off, divorce (re- re- + pud(ere) to make ashamed, feel shame (see pudendum) + -ium -ium) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsre·pu·di·a·ble, adjectivere·pu·di·a·tive, adjectivere·pu·di·a·tor, nounnon·re·pu·di·a·ble, adjectivenon·re·pu·di·a·tive, adjectiveun·re·pu·di·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·pu·di·at·ed, adjectiveun·re·pu·di·a·tive, adjective

Can be confusedrepudiate refute refudiate (see word story at refudiate)

Synonyms for repudiate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR repudiate ON THESAURUS.COM

1. disavow, renounce, discard, disclaim. 3. condemn, disapprove.

Antonyms for repudiate

1. accept. 3. approve.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for repudiate

abandon, recant, revoke, reverse, renounce, dismiss, disavow, spurn, retract, disown, repeal, forsake, rescind, dump, disapprove, rat, apostatize, flush, decline, cast

Examples from the Web for repudiate

Contemporary Examples of repudiate

The testimony included that of two defendants, Salaam and Wise, who took the stand to repudiate their confessions.
The Myth of the Central Park Five
Edward Conlon
October 19, 2014
But the U.S. could work with Yeltsin—though he chose a successor who would ‘repudiate his legacy.’
Blame This Drunken Bear for Vladimir Putin
Eleanor Clift
April 22, 2014
Canada must repudiate extremism on both sides of the conflict.
How Can Canada Deal with the Zombie Threat?
David Frum
February 16, 2013
The goal of broader coverage, however, Republicans do not have to repudiate.
The Answer is Romneycare
David Frum
August 3, 2012
Outrage ensued as the DNC and others called on Mitt to repudiate Ted.
After Ted Nugent’s Tirade, More Backers Who Could Wound Mitt Romney
Ben Jacobs
April 18, 2012

Historical Examples of repudiate

Philip was ashamed of his glories, but he had no heart to repudiate them.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
There was something coming to him on that account which a man could not repudiate or ignore.
The Flockmaster of Poison Creek
George W. Ogden
I ought to have said the bargain ceases the instant you repudiate it.
A Rent In A Cloud
Charles James Lever
This was the feeling that had made it incumbent on him to repudiate a wife who had so treated him.
Kept in the Dark
Anthony Trollope
There are circumstances in which a good citizen is bound to repudiate all complicity.
The Gods are Athirst
Anatole France

British Dictionary definitions for repudiate

repudiate

verb (tr)

to reject the authority or validity of; refuse to accept or ratifyCongress repudiated the treaty that the President had negotiated

to refuse to acknowledge or pay (a debt)

to cast off or disown (a son, lover, etc)

Derived Formsrepudiable, adjectiverepudiation, nounrepudiative, adjectiverepudiator, noun

Word Origin for repudiate

C16: from Latin repudiāre to put away, from repudium a separation, divorce, from re- + pudēre to be ashamed

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 repudiate

1540s, "to cast off by divorce," from Latin repudiatus, past participle of repudiare "to cast off, put away, divorce, reject, scorn, disdain," from repudium "divorce, rejection, a putting away, dissolution of marriage," from re- "back, away" (see re-) + pudium, probably related to pes-/ped- "foot" [Barnhart]. If this is so, the original notion may be of kicking something away, but folk etymology commonly connects it with pudere "cause shame to." Of opinions, conduct, etc., "to refuse to acknowledge," attested from 1824. Earliest in English as an adjective meaning "divorced, rejected, condemned" (mid-15c.). Related: Repudiated; repudiating.