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

as in to deny

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to renounce

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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 Over the years, questions about the evidence against Smith emerged as a witness recanted, Lowden repudiated his earlier statement implicating Smith, and another man claimed responsibility for Hart's killing. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 That agreement soon unravelled with Trump making new conditions in public and the Saudis repudiating them. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 Democrats have this one chance to repudiate the democratic socialists who are striving to define and control their party. — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2026 In 2018, the court unequivocally repudiated its wartime decision that denigrated Japanese Americans. — Tom Campbell, Oc Register, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for repudiate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for repudiate

Verb

Russian forces are also trying to choke shipping in Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, denying Kyiv vital grain export revenue.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Now that the eleventh-hour challenge was denied, Paramount CEO David Ellison can move forward with closing the merger as planned.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of deny

Verb

Israel, which has refused to cooperate with the commission since it was established in 2021, has strenuously denied the accusations.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
El Sayed acknowledged that both Israel and Iran could cause harm but refused twice to rank one as the greater threat.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of refuse

Verb

Justice Brett Kavanaugh quickly rejected the appeal without seeing any need to refer it to his colleagues, and the matter appeared to be closed—for an hour or so, anyway.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
On the same day, Newsom also rejected a measure that would have stopped federal immigration enforcement officers from using their experience to obtain a state training waiver.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of reject

Verb

The possibility of revising Article 9 of Japan’s constitution, which renounces war and prohibits a traditional standing army, is no longer taboo in Tokyo.

— David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
China claims Taiwan as its sovereign territory and has never renounced the use of force to achieve unification.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of renounce

Verb

According to the Public Defender's Office, officers falsely claimed that Gibson had assaulted them by biting, punching, and wrapping a radio cord around an officer's neck, claims later refuted by video evidence.

— Senior Editor, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
While refuting any suggestion of police repression, Lecornu condemned violence on the margins of protests, which were mostly peaceful Tuesday, despite the dramatic scenes that dominated coverage.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of refute

Verb

When Albin returned to the question of which country posed the greater threat to American interests, el Sayed again declined to choose between them, arguing that both had demonstrated the capacity to cause harm.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Courtesy of Heineken, 2026 Caton declined to say how many European jobs will go, citing ongoing consultation with staff and the European Works Council.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of decline

Verb

In warmer months, the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows between dining room and terrace retracts such that the whole place is open to the warm breeze coming off the water.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
And not all of the proofs were certified as correct by the automatic logic verification platform Lean—in fact, some have already been retracted after outside scientists found mistakes.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of retract

Browse Nearby Words

republishing

repudiate

repudiated

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Repudiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repudiate. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of repudiate

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Presidential Gaffes and Flubs

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

deportment

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes

Synonyms of repudiate

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Articles Related to repudiate

Presidential Gaffes and Flubs

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

deportment

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes