as in denial
a refusal to confirm the truth of a statement
the mayor's disavowal of the rumor that a terrorist threat had been received put our minds at rest
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Recent Examples of disavowal
Pelicot is troubled by her children’s immediate disavowal of their father, of their entire childhood.
—
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
But with Rourke’s strong disavowal, Hines also wanted to assure fans that there was nothing shady about the GoFundMe.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
The 2025 version manages just eight mentions, including a sharp disavowal.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Nile is skeletal like Jared Kushner; his thinness is foreboding, marking a disavowal of all that is sensual.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Mamdani initially tried to stay on-message, offering a quick disavowal of an unsavory association or controversial past statement and pivoting back his agenda.
—Ben Adler, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
The post marks a significant shift from the President’s past disavowals of the unpopular right-wing policy blueprint, which was created by conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation ahead of the 2024 election.
—Connor Greene, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Anderson saw something in the artist formerly known as Marky Mark, who’d only made the transition from musical artist to actor three years earlier, that Wahlberg still doesn’t see in himself, if his disavowal of the movie is any indication.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
But the new wave of disavowals represents the latest sign that the conflict, which has killed thousands of Palestinians, has become polarizing within the mainstream of the party.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
But with Rourke’s strong disavowal, Hines also wanted to assure fans that there was nothing shady about the GoFundMe.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
The 2025 version manages just eight mentions, including a sharp disavowal.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Nile is skeletal like Jared Kushner; his thinness is foreboding, marking a disavowal of all that is sensual.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Mamdani initially tried to stay on-message, offering a quick disavowal of an unsavory association or controversial past statement and pivoting back his agenda.
—Ben Adler, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
The post marks a significant shift from the President’s past disavowals of the unpopular right-wing policy blueprint, which was created by conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation ahead of the 2024 election.
—Connor Greene, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Anderson saw something in the artist formerly known as Marky Mark, who’d only made the transition from musical artist to actor three years earlier, that Wahlberg still doesn’t see in himself, if his disavowal of the movie is any indication.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
But the new wave of disavowals represents the latest sign that the conflict, which has killed thousands of Palestinians, has become polarizing within the mainstream of the party.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disavowal
Noun
-
One of his most popular early clips featured a Holocaust-denial riff about how many cookies could fit in an oven.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Recently, despite their consistent and ridiculous denials, it was found that Iran had built numerous missiles capable of reaching all over Europe.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While not issuing a quick rejection, key conservative justices seemed skeptical of the administration’s arguments for its legality.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The legal costs that could be incurred by these private schools would be devastating, with claims motivated more by rejection of beliefs than actual injury.—
Stephen Mitchell,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disavowal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disavowal. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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