renunciation

noun

re·​nun·​ci·​a·​tion ri-ˌnən(t)-sē-ˈā-shən 

: the act or practice of renouncing : repudiation

specifically : ascetic self-denial

renunciative

ri-ˈnən(t)-sē-ˌā-tiv 

adjective

renunciatory

ri-ˈnən(t)-sē-ə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

Synonyms

• abnegation
• renouncement
• repudiation
• self-denial

Examples of renunciation in a Sentence

the king's renunciation of the throne

Their vows include renunciation of all wealth.

Recent Examples on the Web

Erdoğan may need Kurdish support to run again Some analysts have said public suggestions by Erdoğan's political allies that Ocalan, the 75-year-old PKK leader, could be released in return for a renunciation of violence, form part of an effort to woo Kurdish voters. —Willem Marx, NPR, 1 Mar. 2025

Enacted after the Civil War as a renunciation of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which held that Black people are not citizens of the U.S., the birthright citizenship clause has been relatively uncontested since 1868. —Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025

So the practice of love turns on a renunciation of control. —Sean Illing, Vox, 9 Dec. 2024

Syria The large question hanging over our Syria policy is whether the rebel group chiefly responsible for toppling the Assad regime, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or Organization for the Liberation of the Levant, is sincere in its renunciation of terrorism and Taliban-style Islamism. —Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English renunciacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin renuntiation-, renuntiatio, from renuntiare to renounce

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing renunciation

• self-renunciation

Rhymes for renunciation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

renunciation

noun

re·​nun·​ci·​a·​tion ri-ˌnən(t)-sē-ˈā-shən 

: the act or practice of renouncing

Legal Definition

renunciation

noun

re·​nun·​ci·​a·​tion ri-ˌnən-sē-ˈā-shən 

: the act or practice of renouncing

specifically : the act of refusing to continue to acknowledge, recognize, or be bound by a contract or obligation : repudiation