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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 disavowal
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
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
-
For Avraham Burg, an author and former speaker of Israel’s parliament who has become a prominent critic, what lies behind this state of denial in many Jewish Israelis goes far beyond media influence.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
-
After weeks of obfuscation and denial, the Chinese government suddenly shut down the city of Wuhan and surrounding regions to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But those early rejections didn’t destroy their confidence.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025
-
This over-enthusiasm can backfire, leading to rejection.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disavowal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disavowal. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share