Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of abjure are forswear, recant, renounce, and retract. While all these words mean "to withdraw one's word or professed belief," abjure implies a firm and final rejecting or abandoning often made under oath.

abjured the errors of his former faith

When would forswear be a good substitute for abjure?

In some situations, the words forswear and abjure are roughly equivalent. However, forswear may add an implication of perjury or betrayal.

I cannot forswear my principles

When is recant a more appropriate choice than abjure?

The synonyms recant and abjure are sometimes interchangeable, but recant stresses the withdrawing or denying of something professed or taught.

if they recant they will be spared

When can renounce be used instead of abjure?

Although the words renounce and abjure have much in common, renounce may carry the meaning of disclaim or disown.

renounced abstract art and turned to portrait painting

When could retract be used to replace abjure?

The words retract and abjure can be used in similar contexts, but retract applies to the withdrawing of a promise, an offer, or an accusation.

the newspaper had to retract the story

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 abjure Elite progressive educational institutions were unlikely to experience a radical moral epiphany the moment the Supreme Court made its ruling, and abjure their discriminatory impulses and racial fixations. The Editors, National Review, 8 Aug. 2023 This scenario—the Russian nationalist who abjures the war—is Ukraine’s quickest path to some sort of victory. Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2023 But as a philosophical tradition, pragmatism makes no normative claims about what is worth doing and what is not, what is desirable and what is to be abjured. Mark Edmundson, Harper's Magazine, 12 Dec. 2022 With great subversiveness, Portis consistently abjured America’s postwar fetishes for progress, social mobility and affluence. Elizabeth Nelson, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2023 See All Example Sentences for abjure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abjure
Verb
  • As the historian Landon Storrs has shown, the Red Scare pressured an entire generation of federal workers into putting their heads down, keeping their mouths shut, and renouncing interest in progressive ideas.
    Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
  • But the Polisario could renounce its claim to Dakhla in exchange for other concessions more meaningful to its own projects and ambitions.
    Hannah Rae Armstrong, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • To avoid this scenario, Silva-Nash simply recommends using an appropriate floor cleaner, rather than wax.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Unfortunately, Hartford continues to avoid the heavy lifting that is required to have a successful system.
    Vincent Turley, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • This is evident in the agency's recent decision under current leadership to withdraw several high-profile lawsuits alleging violations of consumer financial laws against Early Warning Services, the operator of Zelle, and major banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo.
    Lenwood V. Long, Sr., Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • But that means patients don’t have the usual right of a trial participant to withdraw from a study at any time, Johnson notes.
    Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Hence, why the idea of foregoing the traditional route and purchasing a tiny home is so intriguing.
    Maggie Horton, People.com, 25 Feb. 2025
  • But that’s something a number of social media users have been trying to do, especially after Meta and its founder Mark Zuckerberg have aligned with President Donald Trump — foregoing fact-checkers and incorporating two Trump allies into high positions in the company.
    Leah Asmelash, CNN, 16 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Limits have been places on dissemination of scientific research on LGBTQ and gender topics, as CDC researchers have been ordered to retract any unpublished research containing terms such as gender, transgender or LGBTQ.
    Dr. Gary Spinner, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2025
  • The school has retracted the public DEI statements of some programs, removed faculty diversity data, and revised a calendar of multicultural graduation events.
    Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In most fields workers are prone to deny a problem and even pretend to enjoy the abuse.
    James L. Edwards III, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The Idaho Senate this week approved a joint resolution to deny voters the authority to legalize cannabis through a statewide ballot initiative.
    A.J. Herrington, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Abjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abjure. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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