repudiate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
repudiates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repudiated,
past participle, past
-
repudiating
present participle
-
to reject as having no authority or binding force.
to repudiate a claim.
- Antonyms:
- accept
-
to cast off or disown.
to repudiate a son.
-
to reject with disapproval or condemnation.
to repudiate a new doctrine.
- Synonyms:
- disapprove, condemn, disown, renounce
- Antonyms:
- approve
-
to reject with denial.
to repudiate a charge as untrue.
-
to refuse to acknowledge and pay (a debt), as a state, municipality, etc.
verb
-
to reject the authority or validity of; refuse to accept or ratify
Congress 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)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
repudiationnoun
-
repudiatornoun
-
nonrepudiableadjective
-
nonrepudiativeadjective
-
repudiableadjective
-
repudiativeadjective
-
unrepudiableadjective
-
unrepudiatedadjective
-
unrepudiativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
repudiatesimple
-
repudiatessimple
-
have repudiatedperfect
-
has repudiatedperfect
-
am repudiatingprogressive
-
are repudiatingprogressive
-
is repudiatingprogressive
-
have been repudiatingperfect progressive
-
has been repudiatingperfect progressive
Past
-
repudiatedsimple
-
had repudiatedperfect
-
was repudiatingprogressive
-
were repudiatingprogressive
-
had been repudiatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of repudiate
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin repudiātus (past participle of repudiāre “to reject, refuse”), equivalent to repudi(um) “a casting off, divorce” ( re- + pud(ere) “to make ashamed, feel shame” + -ium noun suffix ) + -ātus past participle sufffix; see re-, pudendum, -ium, -ate 1
Explanation
To repudiate something is to reject it, or to refuse to accept or support it. If you grow up religious, but repudiate all organized religion as an adult, you might start spending holidays at the movies, or just going to work. This verb usually refers to rejecting something that has authority, such as a legal contract, doctrine, or claim. In connection with debts or other obligations, repudiate is used in the specialized sense "to refuse to recognize or pay." If referring to a child or a romantic parner, repudiate is used in the sense "to disown, cast off." This verb is derived from Latin repudiare, "to put away, divorce."
Vocabulary lists containing repudiate
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Grade 10, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
1984
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
This signal turns to static if defendants are allowed to repudiate allegations to which they just agreed “without admitting or denying” these very same allegations.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
He argues that the city could run them—simply fold the MTA and let New York State repudiate the debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
In response, Allister said: "If Claire is trying to pretend that I am insincere in my condemnation of violence then I utterly repudiate and indeed resent that comment."
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2025
In seeming to repudiate capitalism’s imperatives, its success can seem surprising, even mystifying.
From New York Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
Today, segments of Western society publicly repudiate racism.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Mediaset Espana, which owns Cuatro, said it "categorically repudiates any form of harassment or aggression. We fully support Isa Balado, reporter for 'En boca de todos', after the absolutely intolerable situation she has suffered today."
From Reuters ● Sep. 12, 2023
"Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance," the company said.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2022
“The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela repudiates this grave violation of human rights against a Venezuelan citizen, invested as a diplomat and representative of our country before the world,” the statement said.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 16, 2021
Deutsche Welle issued a statement about its decision, saying it repudiates “any type of hate speech or incitement to violence.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2020
There is a lofty scorn in his answer when he repudiates any sympathy with the accusers.
From Sermons by J. B. Lightfoot
The 14th Amendment repudiated that old constitutional order once and for all, and now, as interpreted, declared that belonging would no longer depend on blood, lineage, or inherited status.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
Similarly, the price of Russian bonds went up, not down, for months after the new Communist government repudiated Russia’s debt in 1918, virtually wiping it out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
Asked about his claim – repudiated by Israel - that thousands of lorries were waiting on the border to enter Gaza, Mr Fletcher repeated that he especially needed to be "careful and really precise".
From BBC ● May 30, 2025
In 2017, his conviction was reversed after experts repudiated some of their testimony.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2024
And now you have repudiated the character of Lopsang with your “tattle tale” accounts of him.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
That debate over the declaration helped engender the equal citizenship amendments added to the 1789 Constitution at the Civil War’s end—specifically, as the Supreme Court recounts, in the 14th Amendment’s first sentence repudiating Dred Scott.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
So one of the appealing takeaways from the biodoc “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” is a repudiating of the typical narrative of inescapable fate, instead pursuing the richness of a gifted artist’s ups and downs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025
The researchers now wanted to know whether these individuals would justify their decision retrospectively by repudiating climate change.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 2, 2024
And Roberts, in particular, has made a point of repudiating the Korematsu decision that approved American detention camps.
From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2023
In other words, if he did not answer Burr’s challenge, he would be repudiating his well-known convictions, and in so doing, he would lose the respect of those political colleagues on whom his reputation depended.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
