Synonym Chooser

How is the word abjure different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of abjure are forswear, recant, renounce, and retract. While all these words mean "to withdraw one's word or professed belief," abjure implies a firm and final rejecting or abandoning often made under oath.

abjured the errors of his former faith

When would forswear be a good substitute for abjure?

In some situations, the words forswear and abjure are roughly equivalent. However, forswear may add an implication of perjury or betrayal.

I cannot forswear my principles

When is recant a more appropriate choice than abjure?

The synonyms recant and abjure are sometimes interchangeable, but recant stresses the withdrawing or denying of something professed or taught.

if they recant they will be spared

When can renounce be used instead of abjure?

Although the words renounce and abjure have much in common, renounce may carry the meaning of disclaim or disown.

renounced abstract art and turned to portrait painting

When could retract be used to replace abjure?

The words retract and abjure can be used in similar contexts, but retract applies to the withdrawing of a promise, an offer, or an accusation.

the newspaper had to retract the story

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abjure Both President Trump and Attorney General–designate Pam Bondi are positioned to stop the lawfare, but only if the Democrats abjure their politicization of criminal justice. Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025 Trump issues foreign policy diktats by social media, abjuring international consultation and consensus, but the Biden administration itself announced export controls on technology to China without the agreement of U.S. partners. Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 20 Jan. 2025 The Abrahamic faiths conceive of God as an omniscient creator and generally abjure gambling as a result; one of the first laws passed by the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned the possession of cards, dice, or gaming tables. Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024 Elite progressive educational institutions were unlikely to experience a radical moral epiphany the moment the Supreme Court made its ruling, and abjure their discriminatory impulses and racial fixations. The Editors, National Review, 8 Aug. 2023 See All Example Sentences for abjure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abjure
Verb
  • Eventually, however, Lowell’s ideas were discredited—Schiaparelli, once an ally, renounced them—and the world moved on.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
    Karen Lema, Reuters, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Take extra caution when on the road or avoid driving if possible.
    KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Refrain from entering water that may have electricity in it and avoid walking through floodwaters.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The reaction to this was dynamic, which for some meant withdrawing from opportunities and for others contributed to burnout and decisions to leave their jobs altogether.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • But Russia's prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, signed a decree proposed by the Cabinet on August 25 to withdraw from the convention, and Putin has now submitted this to the Duma, which is likely to rubber stamp it.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • At age 22, Mercor’s leaders Foody, Hiremath and Surya Midha are all Thiel Fellows, members of conservative billionaire investor Peter Thiel’s program to dole out $100,000 grants every year to young people in exchange for foregoing college.
    Richard Nieva, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Many will completely forego Corsair's widgets.
    Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Once at the top or bottom, the Marswalker retracts the bracers and opens its doors again so that the S2 can be on its way while the Marswalker waits for the return trip.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Similarly, although an extensive Danish study showed no link between aluminum in vaccines and ASD, Kennedy demanded that the Annals of Internal Medicine, a prestigious medical journal, retract the study.
    Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • All three Cabinet members denied wrongdoing.
    Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Judge Gary Arnold denied the motion Thursday morning.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Abjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abjure. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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