REPUDIATE Synonyms: 139 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

repudiate

verb

ri-ˈpyü-dē-ˌāt

Definition of repudiate next

as in to deny

to declare not to be true vigorously repudiated the charge that she had lied on her résumé

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to refuse

to refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as one's responsibility the angry mother bitterly repudiated her teenaged daughter, telling her that she never wanted to see or hear from her again

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to reject

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to we didn't like the terms, so we repudiated the contract

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to withdraw

to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to) the producers of the hit TV show threatened to take the disgruntled actor to court if he attempted to repudiate his contract

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples 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 The Saudis invited Syria to repudiate Iran and rejoin the Arab bloc. —

Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024 Italy and Poland, too, have publicly repudiated the deal in its present form. —

Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 6 Dec. 2024 Four years after it was handed down, Congress enacted the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which repudiated Geduldig in the workplace and forbade employers from discriminating on the basis of pregnancy. —

Ian Millhiser, Vox, 15 Nov. 2024 Even Georgia’s own President, a largely titular post, has repudiated the election. —

Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for repudiate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for repudiate

Verb

And the Supreme Court has reaffirmed it in the years since — including in the 1982 case Plyler v. Doe, which held that states cannot deny students a free public education based on their immigration status.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR, 23 Jan. 2025
Chris Brown says he is banned from entering Canada Brown confirmed that he was denied entry into Canada based on his criminal history just hours before he was set to perform in the first of two performances in Toronto.

— Alex Heigl, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025