avowed

adjective \ ə-ˈvau̇d \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Definition of avowed

1 : openly acknowledged or declared

an avowed liberal/conservative

2 : asserted to be true or real : professed

their avowed purpose/goal/aim/intention

See avowed defined for English-language learners

See avowed defined for kids

Recent Examples of avowed from the Web

Signs suggest that President Trump aims to move the court so far to the right that half the nation will inevitably deem it an avowed enemy.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Five times Anthony Kennedy was the fifth vote shows the significance of his retirement," 28 June 2018
Adcock, an avowed rosé lover for years, had no trouble gushing over the cornucopia of pink wines making their way into the marketplace.

— dave eckert, kansascity, "Rosés are the 'go to' summertime drink for wine lovers, even KC barbecue fans," 12 June 2018
But tensions between the two avowed enemies are rising.

— fred weir, The Christian Science Monitor, "As Israel-Iran rivalry burns, Russia's Tehran ties may get singed," 4 May 2018
The energy in the Democratic Party is self-avowed (ph) socialist.

— Fox News, "John Bolton previews the Trump-Putin summit; Leonard Leo on frontrunners to replace Justice Kennedy," 1 July 2018
The energy in the Democratic Party is self-avowed socialists, open borders.

— liz goodwin, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump’s immigration crackdown gives the left a rallying cry: ‘Abolish ICE’," 28 June 2018
There are also two bars with a menu curated by avowed gamer and celebrity chef José Andrés.

— leigh kamping-carder, WSJ, "Professional Videogamers Get Their Own Stadiums," 20 June 2018
The ruling on the Nixon tapes sits in memory as a stunning fulfillment of the Supreme Court’s avowed aspirations to political neutrality.

— dan rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "Is Kavanaugh Trump's 'Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card'?," 10 July 2018
The sound of the Audio-Technica R70x came as a shock even to me, an avowed audiophile.

— vlad savov, The Verge, "Audio-Technica R70x review: the definition of neutral headphones," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'avowed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of avowed

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Learn More about avowed

Nglish: Translation of avowed for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of avowed for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up avowed? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

avowed

Definition of avowed

Recent Examples of avowed from the Web

First Known Use of avowed

Learn More about avowed

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

nonchalant

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Words We're Watching: 'Low-key'

The Difference Between Dependent and Independent Clauses

'Cliché': We’ve Heard It All Before

Some Notes On 'Asshat'

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

The Eponym Quiz

Semantic Drift Quiz

Spell It

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Words We're Watching: 'Low-key'

The Eponym Quiz

Come Back Here With That: 10 Fun Words for Stealing

Trending: WaPo: Doocy 'Incomparably Sequacious'

Ghost Word

avowed

Definition of avowed

Recent Examples of avowed from the Web

First Known Use of avowed

Learn More about avowed

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Words We're Watching: 'Low-key'

The Eponym Quiz

Come Back Here With That: 10 Fun Words for Stealing

Trending: WaPo: Doocy 'Incomparably Sequacious'

Ghost Word