Synonyms of disavow

disavow

verb

ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇ 

1

as in to deny

to declare not to be true

disavowed the testimony that she had given earlier in the trial

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deny
• refute
• reject
• contradict
• repudiate
• disclaim
• disallow
• disown
• negate
• disaffirm
• gainsay
• negative
• disconfirm
• traverse
• disprove
• rebut
• challenge
• disagree (with)
• dispute
• confute

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• acknowledge
• confirm
• allow
• admit
• accept
• own
• concede
• adopt
• embrace
• submit
• maintain
• claim
• assert
• affirm
• avow
• declare
• announce
• profess
• verify
• espouse
• validate
• substantiate
• aver
• corroborate
• authenticate

2

as in to refuse

to refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as one's responsibility

the government will disavow any knowledge of your mission

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deny
• refuse
• disown
• refute
• disclaim
• repudiate
• reject
• criticize
• contradict
• disallow
• disprove
• wash one's hands of
• gainsay
• renounce
• negate
• question
• retract
• rebut
• confute
• challenge
• recant
• abdicate
• abjure
• negative
• dispute

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recognize
• acknowledge
• claim
• accept
• own
• adopt
• embrace
• admit
• grant
• submit
• avow
• concede
• maintain
• confess
• assert
• affirm
• declare
• announce
• confirm
• verify
• espouse
• validate
• substantiate
• profess
• aver
• corroborate
• authenticate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of disavow

Hong has disavowed some of these comments, and told Politico last week that Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

In the decades since then, Japan has largely adopted a pacifist stance that disavows its imperial past. — Mimi Hanaoka, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026

Hong has also disavowed parts of the national DSA platform, such as abolishing prisons and law enforcement. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

In essence, the intelligence community had predicted Russian behavior in the Iran war, only to disavow, a year later, the very framework that got it right. — Ariane Tabatabai, Time, 4 Aug. 2026

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!