repudiate
rih-PYOO-dee-ayt
/rɪˈpjuːdieɪt/
To reject with disapproval or condemnation; to refuse to acknowledge or pay a debt.
Stronger than simple rejection; it carries a moral weight, implying that the thing being rejected is shameful, unauthorized, or completely invalid.
The story behind the word. Repudiate comes from the Latin repudiare, meaning 'to divorce or cast off.' This was derived from repudium (divorce), which itself comes from pudere, meaning 'to cause shame.' Historically, to repudiate someone was to cast them out because of shame.
Word relationships
- reject: Reject is a general term, while repudiate implies a formal, often public, and morally charged refusal.
- disown: Disown is typically used for personal relationships (disowning a child), whereas repudiate is used for ideas, debts, and treaties.
- embrace: Embrace means to accept willingly and enthusiastically.
- ratify: Ratify means to give formal consent to a treaty or contract, making it officially valid.
Commonly confused with
- refute: Refute means to prove a statement false with evidence; repudiate is simply a strong rejection or denial without necessarily proving anything.
Word family
- repudiation (noun): The rejection of a proposal, agreement, or idea.
Collocations
- repudiate a debt
- repudiate a claim
- repudiate an agreement
- publicly repudiate
Idioms & expressions
- wash one's hands of
Example sentences
- "The candidate was forced to repudiate the extremist group's endorsement during the live television debate." A political leader rejecting extremist support.
- "The newly established revolutionary government chose to repudiate all foreign debts incurred by the previous regime." Financial context regarding national debt.
Memory hook
Think of 're-pud-iate' as pushing away a 'pudding' that has gone bad because it is shameful to serve. Reject with shame.
When not to use
Do not use for turning down a polite invitation or a cup of tea.
Fun facts
- In ancient Roman law, a husband could repudiate his wife by simply handing her a bill of divorcement in front of seven witnesses.
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