renounce

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /rɪˈnaʊns/ UK /rɪˈnaʊns/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to formally give up or reject a claim, right, or belief

He renounced his title and went to live abroad.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to formally give up or... reject disavow relinquish abandon forsake abjure

Opposites

embrace claim accept retain

Word family

Derived forms renouncementrenouncer

Related forms renunciation announce pronounce

Simplified etymology

Renounce entered English in the late Middle English period and ultimately combines Latin nuntius, “messenger,” with re-, here expressing reversal. It shares its root with announce.

Etymology

From Old French renoncier, from Latin renuntiare ('to report back, renounce'), from re- ('against') + nuntiare ('to announce'), from nuntius ('messenger').

renoncier Old French renuntiare Latin nuntiare Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# renounce

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /rɪˈnaʊns/
**IPA (UK):** /rɪˈnaʊns/

## Meanings
1. to formally give up or reject a claim, right, or belief

## Examples
- He renounced his title and went to live abroad.

## Synonyms
- reject
- disavow
- relinquish
- abandon
- forsake
- abjure

## Antonyms
- embrace
- claim
- accept
- retain

## Derived Forms
- renouncement
- renouncer

## Related Forms
- renunciation
- announce
- pronounce

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: renoncier
- Root: renuntiare
- Root: nuntiare

## Etymology
From Old French renoncier, from Latin renuntiare ('to report back, renounce'), from re- ('against') + nuntiare ('to announce'), from nuntius ('messenger').

## AI Etymology
Renounce comes from Old French renoncier, from Latin renuntiare ('to report back, renounce'), from re- ('against') + nuntiare ('to announce'), from nuntius ('messenger'). The prefix supplies the first semantic turn, while the base carries the lexical core of the word. As a verb, it means "to formally give up or reject a claim, right, or belief", so the modern sense keeps the older action or relation visible. Relevant historical forms include Old French renoncier, Latin renuntiare, and Latin nuntiare. Derivative forms include renouncement, renouncer; related words include renunciation, announce, pronounce.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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