Definition of repudiatenext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word repudiate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of repudiate are decline, refuse, reject, and spurn. While all these words mean "to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering," repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

When can decline be used instead of repudiate?

The words decline and repudiate can be used in similar contexts, but decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

When is it sensible to use refuse instead of repudiate?

While in some cases nearly identical to repudiate, refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

Where would reject be a reasonable alternative to repudiate?

The words reject and repudiate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

When is spurn a more appropriate choice than repudiate?

In some situations, the words spurn and repudiate are roughly equivalent. However, spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

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 repudiate By making a presumption of guilt and of the state’s inerrancy, the attorney general is repudiating the rule of law, which is grounded in the state’s obligation to prove its case. Paul Rosenzweig, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026 For those who recall the impunity of those years, Kast’s election signifies an end to a thirty-five-year period in which most Chileans repudiated Pinochet’s legacy. Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025 Many conservatives repudiated parts of the political left for not more forcefully condemning Kirk’s killing. Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 17 Dec. 2025 It's been repudiated in the past. Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for repudiate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repudiate
Verb
  • Aljorna and Sosa-Celis denied assaulting the officer.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Decades later, Faraci cooperated with Modrowski’s lawyer during the post-conviction proceedings and submitted two affidavits in 2019 and 2011 denying Modrowski was involved, court records show.
    Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Like Social Security and Medicare reform and the massive national debt, which is at $38 trillion and counting because Washington refuses to cut spending, despite record amounts of revenue flooding into the Treasury.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Feb. 2026
  • She is known for her perfectly coiffed buns; my baby hairs, on the other hand, refuse to fall in line.
    Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The Indiana Court of Appeals rejected a Gary man’s bid last week to cut his sentence for attacking multiple women.
    Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Like in the case of Adam Hart, who rejected a digital verdict in order to protect a patient’s lungs, the ultimate value of the nurse in the age of AI may be not their ability to follow the prompt but their willingness to override it.
    Hilke Schellmann, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs.
    Lianna Norman, Florida Times-Union, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Besson’s vision explores the love that was ripped away from Dracula and how that loss led him to renounce God and live for an eternity as his punishment.
    Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • But the company is refuting the claims.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
  • But Kennedy was equally as defiant and doubled down on his stance, strongly refuting the allegations directed towards him.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The driver and bicyclist declined to be transported to the hospital, according to officials.
    David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The sheriff declined to answer several questions, including one from a reporter who asked if there was a ransom demanded.
    Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • However, that petition was later withdrawn in 2025, the complaint said.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
  • China has invested little in Russia’s economy, and nowhere near the amount that the West withdrew after Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
    Alan Cullison, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The strongback support has retracted for launch.
    Josh Dinner, Space.com, 13 Feb. 2026
  • AppLovin last month demanded that CapitalWatch, a short seller, retract its 35-page report.
    Scott Schnipper, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Repudiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repudiate. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.

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