Synonym Chooser

How is the word avow distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of avow are affirm, assert, declare, and protest. While all these words mean "to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection," avow stresses frank declaration and acknowledgment of personal responsibility for what is declared.

avowed that all investors would be repaid in full

When might affirm be a better fit than avow?

The synonyms affirm and avow are sometimes interchangeable, but affirm implies conviction based on evidence, experience, or faith.

affirmed the existence of an afterlife

Where would assert be a reasonable alternative to avow?

Although the words assert and avow have much in common, assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or regard for evidence.

asserted that modern music is just noise

When would declare be a good substitute for avow?

In some situations, the words declare and avow are roughly equivalent. However, declare stresses open or public statement.

declared her support for the candidate

When could protest be used to replace avow?

The words protest and avow can be used in similar contexts, but protest emphasizes affirming in the face of denial or doubt.

protested that he really had been misquoted

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 avow Jelly Roll has long been a loud, avowed Eminem fan. Brian McCollum, USA Today, 20 May 2025 Nigel and Isaac had post-Revolutionary War love They were avowed enemies of war: American Revolutionary War veteran Isaac Higgintoot (Brandon Scott Jones) and British officer Nigel Chessum (John Hartman) found unlikely love in Season 2. Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 May 2025 Jennifer Lawrence, Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Bieber, and Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are all avowed Doona-heads. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2025 Discovering this, avowed capitalist Nelson Rockefeller asked the artist to change or remove it. Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for avow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avow
Verb
  • In recent years, Iran has refused to engage in direct discussions with U.S. officials about its nuclear program and instead has insisted on indirect talks, with each government relaying messages through intermediaries.
    NBC News, NBC news, 20 June 2025
  • The barrage led Israel’s defense minister to overtly threaten Iran’s supreme leader. Israel, meanwhile, struck Iran’s heavy water reactor, part of the country’s nuclear program, which its government insists is meant for peaceful purposes only.
    Elena Becatoros, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • And the Justice Department warned that declaring the funding scheme unconstitutional would jeopardize many other programs.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 28 June 2025
  • Jariwala was transported from her home in Andheri to a hospital, where she was declared dead by the doctors, Mumbai police told ANI, which reported that police received information about her death at around 1 a.m. local time.
    Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • It is alleged that Brown launched an unprovoked attack on Diaw, and hit him several times with a bottle and continued to punch and kick him.
    Thomas Smith, Billboard, 20 June 2025
  • Harvard alleged the revocation was the culmination of a retaliatory campaign by the Trump administration on academic freedom at Harvard.
    Alexandra Koch , Bill Mears, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Mah Jongg has been featured on morning talk shows, with Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager (of the Today Show) professing their love for the game.
    Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • And days later, the two professed their love to one another.
    Moná Thomas, People.com, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that the administration acted under the War Powers Act by notifying members of Congress after the strikes.
    Annabella Rosciglione, The Washington Examiner, 22 June 2025
  • The Dreamers also claim their stadium would provide more event space.
    Kelly Martinez Semrad, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 June 2025
Verb
  • America asserted its position, secured a partner through alignment against common rivals, and laid the groundwork for its emergence as a global superpower.
    Staff, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2025
  • Bayern asserted their dominance over Group C by thrashing Auckland City in their Club World Cup opener 10-0.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • Hill contends the Bills are afraid to cover him man-to-man.
    Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 23 June 2025
  • As strangers moments prior, the men had both been nervous that each another might be contending for the same lots, and one of them scooted to a seat farther away to ease the tension.
    Emma Bowman, NPR, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • The holiday marks the date in 1865 – more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation – that Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 Union Army troops came to Galveston Bay, Texas, to proclaim freedom for more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 20 June 2025
  • In front of an excited crowd of Venezuelans in Miami in 2019, the president proclaimed that Maduro’s days were numbered.
    Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Avow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avow. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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