Standard Lemma guide

repudiation

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • rĭ.pyo͞o'di.āʹshən
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɹɪˌpjuːdɪˈeɪ̯ʃ(ə)n/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ɹəˌpjudiˈeɪ̯ʃən/
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: R IH0 P Y UW2 D IY0 EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of refusing to accept; the act of repudiating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The young man's repudiation of the church's doctrines caused a conflict with his religious parents.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: denial, nonapproval, rejection, abnegation, declination, turndown, disapproval, dissension, nonassent, nonconsent, prohibition, refusal, renunciation, repudiation, unapproval, unconsent

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the exposure of falseness or pretensions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the debunking of religion has been too successful

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: debunking

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: exposure

3

noun

Meaning 3

refusal to acknowledge or pay a debt or honor a contract (especially by public authorities)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the repudiation of the debt by the city

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: refusal

4

noun

Meaning 4

rejecting or disowning or disclaiming as invalid

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Congressional repudiation of the treaty that the President had negotiated

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: renunciation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rejection

Narrower terms: disclaimer, disownment, disowning

History

Etymology

From Latin repudiātiōnem, equivalent to repudiate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: отричане (otričane) — refusing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 拒絕 /拒绝 (jùjué) — refusing
  • Dutch: afwijzing — refusing
  • Dutch: ontkenning — refusing
  • Finnish: torjuminen — refusing
  • Finnish: kieltäminen — refusing
  • French: répudiation — refusing
  • German: Ablehnung — refusing
  • German: Zurückweisung — refusing
  • Hindi: खंडन (khaṇḍan) — refusing
  • Icelandic: neitun — refusing
  • Icelandic: höfnun — refusing
  • Japanese: 拒否 (kyohi) — refusing
  • Japanese: 否認 (hinin) — refusing
  • Korean: 부인 (bu'in) — refusing
  • Latin: repudiātiō — refusing
  • Latin: repudium — refusing
  • Russian: отка́з (otkáz) — refusing
  • Spanish: rechazo — refusing
  • Spanish: repudio — refusing
  • Spanish: repudiación — refusing