repudiation
Americannoun
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the act of repudiating.
-
the state of being repudiated.
-
refusal, as by a state or municipality, to pay a lawful debt.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of repudiation
1535–45; < Latin repudiātiōn- (stem of repudiātiō ), equivalent to repudiāt ( us ) ( see repudiate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Repudiation means the act of claiming that something is invalid. If there were a repudiation of all the math test scores because of widespread cheating, you'd probably have to take the test again. Repudiation comes from the verb "repudiate," which is rooted in the Latin word repudiare, meaning to divorce or reject. If you show something is false, you have made a repudiation of that thing. Until the repudiation of the claims, people thought that heroin was a harmless ingredient that could help ease a cough. General belief in the safety of cocaine and cigarettes had similar repudiations.
Vocabulary lists containing repudiation
Pygmalion
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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.
Muir is at pains to emphasize “this is purely the trader in me speaking” and rather than a formal repudiation of the investment case for silver, he just thinks the price action looks tired.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026
It is a repudiation of cosmopolitan universalism in favor of historical continuity and particular identity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
Bessent portrayed the latest restrictions as a repudiation of everything that the U.S. and China have been working on for the past six months and noted the move impacted the rest of the world.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025
Yeah, it’s repudiation if you’re not paying attention to anything except who is now the prime minister.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2025
Colonel Cathcart was stung by the blunt rebuke and skulked guiltily about his room in smarting repudiation.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
