1
as in to relinquish
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
abnegated all claims to the deceased lord's domain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to renounce
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to)
felt that if the Congress adopted these security measures, it would be abnegating the nation's fundamental commitment to individual rights
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abnegate
Her sins are the sins of loving too much and in too self-abnegating a fashion.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2023
Abnegating this responsibility is going against the will of the people and we were voted in to protect the interests of the people.
—Jan Engoren, Sun-Sentinel.com, 6 July 2017
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2023
Abnegating this responsibility is going against the will of the people and we were voted in to protect the interests of the people.
—Jan Engoren, Sun-Sentinel.com, 6 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abnegate
Verb
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While Israel wants to eradicate Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks, the group has shown little willingness to relinquish its political and military power in Gaza.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
5 July 2025
-
Lesson 4: Less data, better decisions Without her phone, my wife had to relinquish her customary role as the navigator.—
JJ Rosen,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Who’s on Tennessee death row While the Department of Justice has renounced pentobarbital, Tennessee and about a dozen other states are pushing forward with the drug.—
Kelly Puente,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
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On Wednesday, Lamont praised Mamdani while noting that Democrats have hardly renounced centrists.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
26 June 2025
Verb
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In the wake of this violence, California's feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 June 2025
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These orders are necessary to allow the U.S. to catch up in the nuclear sector after effectively having abdicated its leadership role for decades.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Verb
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The result will be an increase in preying on immigrants by the criminal element: robbery, protection scams, sweatshop labor and human trafficking, as the immigrant community withdraws from reliance on no-longer-safe court systems.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
4 July 2025
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The traffic receded as Chicago withdrew into the distance behind me on Interstate 90.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
4 July 2025
Verb
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DeJoy resigned in March after President Donald Trump took office again and voiced his consideration to privatize USPS, meaning that mail service would no longer be public but rather owned and run by private companies.—
Mackenzie Thomas,
The Washington Examiner,
14 July 2025
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Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on July 23, 2024.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
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In 2023, more than 10,000 papers were retracted from research journals.—
Sheldon H. Jacobson,
Twin Cities,
10 July 2025
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Once airborne, the foils retract away into the hull, reemerging after landing.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 July 2025
Verb
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So with his conviction and prison stay, Larson was denied access.—
Savannah Leigh Richardson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
-
Paxton, during the trial, denied having the affair.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Verb
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But the President seemed to contradict the Justice Department memo that suggested there were no more files to be disclosed, instead claiming that there are files but that they were written by his rival predecessors and would only serve as a distraction.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
14 July 2025
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But that has contradicted the administration’s own advisories regarding U.S. citizens visiting those countries.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abnegate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegate. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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