abdication
noun
ab·di·ca·tion
ˌab-di-ˈkā-shən 
plural abdications
: an act of abdicating: such as
a
: an act of giving up sovereign power or high office
The desire of King Edward VIII to marry divorced U.S. socialite Wallis Simpson led to the king's abdication in 1936 …—
Martha Ross
Martha RossFrom the advent of Alexander the Great, in 332 B.C., to the abdication of King Farouk, in 1952, the country was ruled without interruption by non-Egyptians.—Milton Viorst
Milton Viorst
b
: an act of abandoning or discarding a right, responsibility, etc.
an abdication of authority
The militants took the liberties of Europe as a sign of moral and political abdication.—Fouad Ajami
Fouad AjamiWhen the majority throws up its hands because the problems are too tough, that's simply an abdication of responsibility.—Michael S. Serrill
Michael S. SerrillExamples of abdication in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This abdication of responsibility is then reframed as neutrality.
—Jallicia Jolly, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Environmental and public health advocates called the agency action a dangerous abdication of one of its core missions.
—Matthew Daly, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Hitting shelves this spring from Delacorte Press, The Windsor Affair is a retelling of the events that led to the Edward VIII's abdication from the throne in the 1930s, which centered on two women, including his love — American divorcée Wallis Simpson.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
The last time this protocol was invoked was in 1936 with the abdication of Edward VIII.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdication
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Jallicia Jolly, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Environmental and public health advocates called the agency action a dangerous abdication of one of its core missions.
—Matthew Daly, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Hitting shelves this spring from Delacorte Press, The Windsor Affair is a retelling of the events that led to the Edward VIII's abdication from the throne in the 1930s, which centered on two women, including his love — American divorcée Wallis Simpson.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
The last time this protocol was invoked was in 1936 with the abdication of Edward VIII.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abdication
Cite this Entry
“Abdication.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abdication. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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