as in withdrew
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in retracted
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Recent Examples of recanted
Jean Casarez, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
NBC news, 12 Oct. 2025
But now, Richins' defense team claims that Crozier recanted the statement in April, and accuses prosecutors of knowingly withholding the info from the defense ahead of trial.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025
Dassey contradicted himself numerous times during the confession, and later recanted it entirely.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Whatever, Dever quickly recanted her earlier precise testimony to the FBI about the sinister doings by those two dodgy cops behind Karen Read’s SUV.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
The first woman has since recanted her allegations of abuse, and Mills has not been charged with any crime.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 3 Sep. 2025
But Raviani later recanted her allegations and dubbed it a misunderstanding.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
However, Springsteen and Scott later recanted their confessions, claiming they were coerced during lengthy police interrogations.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
Adjective
The man who created Steele dossier recanted it in February, and Comey kept using the document to get warrants.
—NBC news, 12 Oct. 2025
But now, Richins' defense team claims that Crozier recanted the statement in April, and accuses prosecutors of knowingly withholding the info from the defense ahead of trial.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025
Dassey contradicted himself numerous times during the confession, and later recanted it entirely.
—Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Whatever, Dever quickly recanted her earlier precise testimony to the FBI about the sinister doings by those two dodgy cops behind Karen Read’s SUV.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
The first woman has since recanted her allegations of abuse, and Mills has not been charged with any crime.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 3 Sep. 2025
But Raviani later recanted her allegations and dubbed it a misunderstanding.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
However, Springsteen and Scott later recanted their confessions, claiming they were coerced during lengthy police interrogations.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recanted
Verb
-
The newborn’s middle name was later retracted.—
Emily Krauser,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The grounds crews can work on the grass sections in tight quarters underneath the concourses and get grow lamps on them even when they’re retracted.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The fighting between the two countries in recent weeks marks the deadliest escalation since the US withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, and could signal a new period of instability for the once-friendly neighbors.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Afghanistan withdrew from a Twenty20 international tri-series in Pakistan following the deaths of three local cricketers, which the Afghanistan Cricket Board attributed to military strikes in Paktika province.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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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Royalist émigrés began to trickle back into the country in 1795, and a number of Jacobins who renounced their earlier radicalism were also reintegrated into civil society.—
Time,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Takaichi has called for a hardline stance towards China and is also in favor of revising Japan’s pacifist constitution, especially Article 9, which renounced Japan’s right to wage war.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Too long submerged in suppressed grief, Zilpha now came up from its depth like any swimmer stroking toward light and sweet air.—
Annie Proulx,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That is, even the Pew study contradicted the claims people were making about wealthier moms being the most miserable and stressed.—
Stephanie H. Murray,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
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According to a press statement, the team behind the study found that their engine often contradicted the basic laws of thermodynamics.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That said, an appearance of Frankenstein’s monster in the film’s climax – where Ana has run away from her repressed family – directly invokes the murder of Little Maria in Whale’s film.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
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My book is a novel about memory, about a character whose repressed memories of childhood are gradually returning for better or for worse.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The 29-year-old denied former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun three times in the first half.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
David denied the allegations at the time.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Recanted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recanted. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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