1
as in to relinquish
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
abnegated all claims to the deceased lord's domain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to renounce
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to)
felt that if the Congress adopted these security measures, it would be abnegating the nation's fundamental commitment to individual rights
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abnegate
Her sins are the sins of loving too much and in too self-abnegating a fashion.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2023
Abnegating this responsibility is going against the will of the people and we were voted in to protect the interests of the people.
—Jan Engoren, Sun-Sentinel.com, 6 July 2017
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2023
Abnegating this responsibility is going against the will of the people and we were voted in to protect the interests of the people.
—Jan Engoren, Sun-Sentinel.com, 6 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abnegate
Verb
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McDuffie is highly unlikely to generate the same return that, say, cornerback Sauce Gardner did just three months ago — the Colts relinquished two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the New York Jets in exchange for Gardner.—
Sam McDowell
February 20,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Riley was the head coach and team president for the Heat’s first NBA championship in 2006 before relinquishing those duties to Spoelstra in 2008.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs.—
Lianna Norman,
Florida Times-Union,
16 Feb. 2026
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Besson’s vision explores the love that was ripped away from Dracula and how that loss led him to renounce God and live for an eternity as his punishment.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As systems act more autonomously and with greater speed, humans would be tempted to abdicate decision making in order to leverage their power.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Healey has clearly decided to abdicate her responsibility to protect taxpayer money.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By April, Kabila’s new government was persuaded by the IMF and the World Bank to withdraw from the contract with Gertler after only eight months.—
Nicolas Niarchos,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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Lupel continued working to get Dotson’s rape conviction overturned until withdrawing as his attorney in 1986.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is growing, after another key aide resigned over revelations about Epstein’s contact with a senior politician.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Wetzel replaces Donnie Yantis, who in January resigned as head coach after four seasons at the private school.—
Greg Riddle,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The padded backpack straps also impressed testers, most notably a design that retracts straps in a stash pocket when needed.—
Drew Zieff,
Outside,
17 Feb. 2026
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All of them have small core teams that expand and retract as projects demand.—
Barry Levitt,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Recent requests had similarly been made and denied to honor Charlie Kirk, the slain conservative activist, and former Vice President Dick Cheney.—
MATT BROWN,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
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The Pentagon has denied these allegations.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abnegate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegate. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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