Joan of Arc refused to renounce her belief that the voice she heard was from God and none other.
Source: tatoeba (1975)
Renounce
/ɹɪˈnaʊns/
Synonyms for "renounce" (300 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (60)
Verb(19 words)
abandonabdicateabjureabortabstain fromacknowledge defeatapostatizeassert the contraryavoidback downback outbackwaterbeg a trucebelaybeliebreakbrush asidecancelcapitulatecease
Show 15 more words
cedechuckchuck outclimbclimb downcome offcome to termscontemncontestcontradictcontravenecontrovertcountercrawfish outcross
Strong matches (90)
Verb(31 words)
Noun(11 words)
Related words (150)
Verb(32 words)
gainsayget along withoutget rid ofgivegive awaygive overgive uphalthand overhave done withholdignoreimplore mercyimpugnjoin issue uponkisskiss good byekiss good-byeknock it offlay down
Show 77 more words
lay offleaveleave offlet gomake a sacrificenol-prosnot acceptnot admitnot pursue withnullifyopposepartpart withpasspass bypass uppray for quarterpush asideput behind onequitquitclaimratrebuffrecantrefrainrefuserefuse to admitrefuse to considerrefuterejectrelinquishrenderrender uprenegerepelrepudiaterepulseresignretractreverserevokerevoltridsacrificesay unclescoutscrubshove awayshunsparespurnstaystopsurrenderswallowswearswear offtake backtake issue withtake the pledgetergiversateterminatethrowthrow awaythrow offthrow outthrow overthrow upturnturn awayturn outunsayvacatewaivewithdrawyieldyield the palm
Noun(18 words)
jiltingjiltsp wave energy releasedpartsrecantingreleasesrelinquishingrenegadingrenegingrepentingrepudiatingretreatsacrificessacrificingspurningunsayingunword a claimwaiving
Adjective(3 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abdicate, abandon, abandoned, abandoning, abandons.
- Sentence evidence is available for renounce, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "renounce".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "renounce"
Keep "renounce" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "renounce" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "renounce", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "renounce" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
11 entriesMore specific
6 entriesCollocations
6 entriesrenounce a claimrenounce a thronerenounce allegiancerenounce beliefrenounce citizenshiprenounce violence
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriesTranslations
24 translations across 14 languages.
Bulgarian
1 entries- изоставям verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Finnish
2 entries- hylätä verb (abandon, forsake an action)
- luopua verb (abandon, forsake an action)
German
1 entries- aufgeben verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Hungarian
4 entries- abbahagy verb (abandon, forsake an action)
- elhagy verb (abandon, forsake an action)
- felad verb (abandon, forsake an action)
- felhagy verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Irish
1 entries- tréig verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Italian
1 entries- abbandonare verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Norwegian
2 entries- gi avkall verb (abandon, forsake an action)
- renonsere verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Old Irish
1 entries- do·beir druimm fri verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Romanian
1 entries- abandona verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Russian
2 entries- отступа́ться verb (abandon, forsake an action)
- отступи́ться verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Sanskrit
1 entries- जहाति verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- dići ruke verb (abandon, forsake an action)
- napustiti verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Tamil
1 entries- துற verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Tocharian B
1 entries- ār- verb (abandon, forsake an action)
Sample sentences
18 total sentences available.
I do plainly and ingenuously confess that I am guilty of corruption, and do renounce all defense. I beseech your Lordships to be merciful to a broken reed.
Source: tatoeba (892740)
Everybody knows the line “The boy didn't crack under interrogation”, but nowadays many people don’t know the continuation: it is a verse about a boy who died, having refused to renounce his Komsomol membership.
Source: tatoeba (1525481)
Instead of being esteemed for these discoveries, he was sentenced to renounce them, or the opinions resulting from them, as a damnable heresy.
Source: tatoeba (1530020)
Showing 4 of 18 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "renounce"?
Closest matches include abdicate, abandon, abandoned, abandoning, abandons.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "renounce"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.