1
as in denying
to declare not to be true
he steadfastly disowned that he was having an affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refusing
to refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as one's responsibility
the dictatorial father angrily disowned his rebellious son
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disowning
In September 2025, it was revealed that Ferguson sent an email to Epstein apologizing for publicly disowning him in a March 2011 interview with the Evening Standard.
—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
The pastor approaches the line without fully disenchanting; a magician drawing attention to the trick without disowning its power.
—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
Emails published on the Mail on Sunday revealed Ferguson apologized to Epstein weeks after publicly disowning him, back in 2011.
—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
30 Nov. 2025
Extended family members of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller are disowning him, according to his cousin.
—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Maximum Overdrive, the only movie that King directed, is eligible… but King himself joined the chorus of harsh critics, disowning it and never again returning to the director’s chair .
—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
The pastor approaches the line without fully disenchanting; a magician drawing attention to the trick without disowning its power.
—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
Emails published on the Mail on Sunday revealed Ferguson apologized to Epstein weeks after publicly disowning him, back in 2011.
—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
30 Nov. 2025
Extended family members of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller are disowning him, according to his cousin.
—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Maximum Overdrive, the only movie that King directed, is eligible… but King himself joined the chorus of harsh critics, disowning it and never again returning to the director’s chair .
—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disowning
Verb
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There’s no denying that Lola Tung has impeccable style—I’m constantly referencing her fierce street style looks—so copying her accessory of choice feels like a safe move.
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Resident cites road, school crowding concerns Resident Kacey Pope urged the board to recommend denying the rezonings, and no residents spoke in favor of the projects.
Verb
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Since Saturday, Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party, has been camped out in the heart of New Delhi, leading a crowd of protesters who are refusing to leave until the country’s education minister resigns over a national exam system mired in scandal.
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Fortunately for the Yankees, Bednar has returned to his All-Star form in recent weeks, refusing to allow a run over 12 innings and 11 games prior to Thursday’s series opener against the Red Sox.
Verb
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However, late Wednesday night, council members finalized plans, rejecting a proposal that would've raised the building's height and delayed the opening date.
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As LLMs and autonomous workflows proliferate, human judgment in curating, refining, and rejecting AI output becomes increasingly valuable.
Verb
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The Whitney Houston estate is refuting Oprah Winfrey recalling that the late singer was high and fell off the stage during an appearance on her talk show.
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Two other retired judges later published their own piece refuting Gilliard’s contention.
Cite this Entry
“Disowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disowning. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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