recanted 1 of 2

adjective

as in retracted

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recanted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of recant
as in renounced
to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to) the Inquisition forced Galileo to recant his support of the Copernican observation that the earth revolves around the sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 recanted
Adjective
The two who confessed – and later recanted – were convicted of capital murder and remained in prison until DNA evidence proving their innocence led to their release in 2009, prosecutors said. — Jean Casarez, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
The witnesses previously recanted, and Wednesday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott offered an apology. — Mike Hellgren, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 In addition, investigators working for Duncan’s legal team interviewed a jailhouse informant who recanted his earlier trial testimony that Duncan had confessed to the crime. — Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 29 June 2026 At least three people were arrested and police said at least four others have recanted. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 17 June 2026 Others have recanted and said police coerced them into implicating Washington and Simms. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026 However, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office ultimately dropped charges against Santana after the 17-year-old accuser recanted his statements to prosecutors, television interviewers and on social media, according to court records. — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026 The conviction turned largely on eyewitness testimony that has since been recanted and scientific evidence that has since been debunked. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2026 Bourgerie noted that Ball’s wife later recanted her allegations and that Ball had been named deputy of the year for the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office in 2025. — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 8 May 2026 Epstein told a guard Tartaglione had attacked him, but later recanted. — ABC News, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recanted
  1. retracted
  2. renounced
  3. withheld
  4. withdrew
  5. suppressed
  6. denied
  7. repressed
  8. contradicted
Adjective
  • Notably, 90% of 190 sick individuals in the current case reported eating iceberg lettuce, a robust epidemiological link independent of the retracted test.
    — Lisa Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • On April 22, 2026, Springer Nature posted a retracted article notice almost a year after initial publication.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 4 May 2026
Definition of retracted
Verb
  • Their virality comes at a time when the very generation that inspired them has largely renounced the label.
    — Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026
  • China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of renounced
Adjective
  • The withheld funding supports election monitoring, independent media and other pro-democracy programs abroad.
    — Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
Definition of withheld
Verb
  • But the county withdrew from consideration over zoning issues.
    — David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • At Lucky Unique, none of the 57 eligible workers had received reimbursement after the supplier withdrew an earlier pledge to repay them.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of withdrew
Adjective
  • General Manager Ken Holland hinted at potentially being done after trading center Phillip Danault for a draft pick in December and acquiring Panarin at a suppressed price in February, though he has been known to under-promise often and, sometimes, over-deliver.
    — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Supervising sound editor Alastair Sirkett told IndieWire that Peter Claffey’s big, former-rugby-player frame really helps that moment sing with suppressed panic.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
Definition of suppressed
Verb
  • Anderson denied any involvement in the shooting, and Keffe D said Tupac was actually his nephew’s favorite rapper.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Davis denied any involvement in an interview with CBS Las Vegas affiliate KLAS-TV.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of denied
Adjective
  • Maybe a repressed emotion or unresolved ending still haunts you.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Nordic noir suggests the presence of violence and hatred beneath the tranquillity and order of the Scandinavian welfare state, just as Southern noir peels back hospitality and charm to reveal repressed family secrets and moral decay.
    — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of repressed
Verb
  • But cell phone footage captured by bystanders contradicted that account.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The defense wrote that Lee’s statements in the recorded phone calls directly contradicted the defensive theory and strategy that Gonzalez was the person who caused all the injuries and the death of the child.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of contradicted

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Cite this Entry

“Recanted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recanted. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of recanted for Spanish Speakers

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