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
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
On display here is a crisis of disavowal, in which architects are relegated to playing mad scientists in a lab completely cut off from the world.
—Kate Wagner, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025
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
On display here is a crisis of disavowal, in which architects are relegated to playing mad scientists in a lab completely cut off from the world.
—Kate Wagner, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disavowal
Noun
-
Trump has also left the door open to resuming nuclear deal negotiations that collapsed last summer, something the regime has signaled openness to despite their denials of ever desiring or possessing nuclear weapons.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Emily Bavar, editor of the newspaper’s Florida Magazine, had face-to-face denials from Disney, but also stacks of clues from him that suggested otherwise.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Calling for an independent transportation study is not a rejection of women’s professional soccer.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
-
A week before being taken into custody, Lemon predicted he’d be arrested, despite Schiltz's rejection of the government's previous attempts to apprehend him.—
Danielle Bacher,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disavowal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disavowal. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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