as in retracted
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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
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Recent Examples of recanted
Jean Casarez, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
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
Sid confessed to the police but later recanted, per New York.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Hitchcock later recanted his confession and said his brother killed Cindy, but he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The men were arrested for the brutal murder of Lisa Kindred in front of her children on Mother’s Day 1999, based on witness testimony that was recanted.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
Citing such evidence, The New York Times editorial board recently recanted some of its earlier support for legalization.
—William Garriott, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
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
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
Sid confessed to the police but later recanted, per New York.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Hitchcock later recanted his confession and said his brother killed Cindy, but he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The men were arrested for the brutal murder of Lisa Kindred in front of her children on Mother’s Day 1999, based on witness testimony that was recanted.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
Citing such evidence, The New York Times editorial board recently recanted some of its earlier support for legalization.
—William Garriott, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recanted
Adjective
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On April 22, 2026, Springer Nature posted a retracted article notice almost a year after initial publication.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
4 May 2026
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The reading assignments prepared for the judges include a Substack post by a notable climate contrarian accusing the authors of the retracted climate chapter in the federal court’s reference manual of including material by Burger and hiding his authorship.—
Abrahm Lustgarten,
ProPublica,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Beijing has never renounced the use of force to unify Taiwan with the Chinese mainland.—
Jan Camenzind Broomby,
NPR,
14 May 2026
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Philip Fong | Afp | Getty Images Japan renounced war under Article 9 of its post-World War II pacifist constitution.—
Sam Meredith,Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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McMahon did not publicly weigh in during UF’s previous presidential search, which collapsed after Ono withdrew amid conservative backlash over his support for DEI programs and other policies while president of the University of Michigan.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
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The winner of the general election will replace incumbent Ada County Treasurer Elizabeth Mahn, who withdrew from the race after registering in March.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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The withheld funding supports election monitoring, independent media and other pro-democracy programs abroad.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The couple's attorneys did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on May 20 but have denied all the allegations in court records.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
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But the Hawks, last Thursday, denied the Sixers permission for the interview.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Verb
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Following the congressional hearing, a group of Epstein survivors contradicted Blanche’s comments.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
19 May 2026
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However, prosecutors said his account was contradicted by video of the incident, physical evidence, and accounts by the victims.—
Ashley Killough,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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And, in the aftermath of a stomach-churning stick-up that twisted my guts with the queasy horror of a repressed memory, Gary is given a week to make the problem go away.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
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Amid the early-spring lightness of the filmmaking, Fukada values softly plainspoken earnestness of emotion, as his repressed, recessive characters learn to listen to their own impulses in the general stillness that surrounds them.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Recanted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recanted. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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