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repudiate

verb
re·​pu·​di·​ate | \ri-ˈpyü-dē-ˌāt \
repudiated; repudiating

Definition of repudiate 

transitive verb

1a : to refuse to accept especially : to reject as unauthorized or as having no binding force repudiate a contract repudiate a will

b : to reject as untrue or unjust repudiate a charge

2 : to refuse to acknowledge or pay repudiate a debt

3 : to refuse to have anything to do with : disown repudiate a cause … unless they repudiated the failed policies of the past and took decisive action, the party might fracture or lose its hold on the electorate.— Walter A. McDougall

4 dated : to divorce or separate formally from (a woman to whom one is betrothed or married) "The incident was witnessed by … the Marquess Zanipolo, who, in consequence, has already repudiated his unhappy bride."— Edith Wharton

Other Words from repudiate Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about repudiate

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Other Words from repudiate

repudiator \ ri-​ˈpyü-​dē-​ˌā-​tər \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for repudiate

decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering. decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations. declined his party's nomination refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for. refused to lend them the money reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding. rejected the manuscript as unpublishable repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance. teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation. spurned his overtures of friendship

Did You Know?

In Latin, the noun "repudium" refers to the rejection of a spouse or prospective spouse, and the related verb repudiare means "to divorce" or "to reject." In the 16th century, English writers used the derivative "repudiate" to mean "to divorce," when in reference to a wife, or "to disown," when in reference to a member of one's family, or just generally "to reject or cast off." By the 19th century the word had also come to be used for the rejection of things that one does not accept as true or just, ranging from opinions and accusations to contracts and debts.

Examples of repudiate in a Sentence

During the Algerian war of independence, the United States had also repudiated France's claimed right to attack a town in neighboring Tunisia that succored Algerian guerrillas … — Christopher Hitchens, Harper's, February 2001 When witnessing abuse, boys will identify with the seemingly powerful father who appears to be a "winner" and will repudiate the mother, who seems to be the "loser." — Constance Adler, Shape, September 1993 While a wife could divorce her husband only for good reason … a husband could repudiate his wife without giving any reason … — Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, 1991 Voters in Myanmar … appeared today to have sharply repudiated their military rulers and to have given a landslide victory to the main opposition party … — Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 29 May 1990 Photographs, the most ubiquitous emblem of mass culture, found an obvious place in Pop Art, and were embraced by those intent on repudiating the preciosity of action painting. — Naomi Rosenblum, A World History of Photography, 1989 Three weeks after the agreement was made and before any specifications were submitted, the buyer repudiated the agreement. — John D. Calamari and Joseph M. Perillo, The Law of Contracts, 1987 a generation that has repudiated the values of the past He has publicly repudiated the government's policies. He published an article that repudiates the study's claims. She says she has evidence which repudiates the allegations.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Mostly that this Amendment directly repudiates the language of Amendment 1, also on the ballot. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "Marijuana Initiatives in the Midterms That Could Change Everything," 27 Sep. 2018 One order of business is a draft resolution cosigned by dozens of Southern Baptist Church (SBC) leaders calling on the largest Protestant denomination in the United States to repudiate any rhetoric or behavior that dishonors women. — Ryan Tarinelli And David Crary, The Christian Science Monitor, "Southern Baptists reckon with gender equity after #MeToo cases," 12 June 2018 Waters' remarks were repudiated by Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, but many observers pointed to her statement and the incidents involving Nielsen and Sanders as evidence of the continuing collapse of civility in American politics. — William Cummings, USA TODAY, "Sen. Maggie Hassan suspends intern for yelling vulgarity at President Trump," 26 June 2018 Both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., repudiated Waters' remarks and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan called for an apology from the congresswoman. — William Cummings, USA TODAY, "The list of Trump White House officials who have been hassled over administration policy," 27 June 2018 He's also been repudiated in a no-confidence vote by the police union in December 2016. — Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad: Rumors of retirement aren't true," 11 June 2018 The 5 Star Movement has traditionally repudiated the idea of governing alongside other parties, but its 31-year-old prime minister candidate, Luigi Di Maio, has softened that stance. — Deborah Ball, WSJ, "Surge by Populists Leaves Italy Without Clear Victor," 4 Mar. 2018 Democrats and a handful of Republicans pressed Ms. Haspel to repudiate the program and sought assurances that torture would not be revisited under her watch. — Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, "Senate Confirms Gina Haspel to Lead C.I.A. Despite Torture Concerns," 17 May 2018 Without mentioning the case, General Eduardo Villas Boas wrote on his Twitter account that the Brazilian Army was mindful of its institutional mission and shares the wish of all good citizens in repudiating impunity. — Bloomberg.com, "Brazil on Edge as Lula Awaits Supreme Court Judgment," 4 Apr. 2018

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

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First Known Use of repudiate

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 4

History and Etymology for repudiate

Latin repudiatus, past participle of repudiare, from repudium rejection of a prospective spouse, divorce, probably from re- + pudēre to shame

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Last Updated

12 Nov 2018

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The first known use of repudiate was in 1545

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More Definitions for repudiate

repudiate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of repudiate

: to refuse to accept or support (something) : to reject (something or someone)

: to say or show that (something) is not true

See the full definition for repudiate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

repudiate

verb
re·​pu·​di·​ate | \ri-ˈpyü-dē-ˌāt \
repudiated; repudiating

Kids Definition of repudiate

1 : to refuse to have anything to do with They repudiated their wayward son.

2 : to refuse to believe or approve of She repudiated the rumors.

repudiate

transitive verb
re·​pu·​di·​ate | \ri-ˈpyü-dē-ˌāt \
repudiated; repudiating

Legal Definition of repudiate 

: to disavow or reject an obligation (as a debt) or duty (as performance under a contract) specifically : to indicate an inability or unwillingness to perform as promised under (a contract)

Other Words from repudiate

repudiator \ -​ˌā-​tər \ noun

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Spanish Central: Translation of repudiate

Nglish: Translation of repudiate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of repudiate for Arabic Speakers

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