ABJURE Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

abjure

verb

ab-ˈju̇r

Definition of abjure

as in to renounce

to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to) abjured some long-held beliefs when she converted to another religion

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to avoid

to resist the temptation of a strict religious sect that abjures the luxuries, comforts, and conveniences of the modern world

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 The foreigners, almost without exception, refuse to formally abjure Christianity, though that is one way to gain liberty. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025 Half Prospero, half Gomer Pyle, Wilson abjured his magic and spent much of the following two decades stumbling into mania, depression, and drug abuse, before eventually reemerging into public life and personal prosperity. — Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025 The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. — Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025 The Abrahamic faiths conceive of God as an omniscient creator and generally abjure gambling as a result; one of the first laws passed by the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned the possession of cards, dice, or gaming tables. — Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for abjure

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abjure

Verb

Advertisement Several branches of the Japanese imperial family renounced their royal status in 1947 to cut down on costs the monarchy incurred after the war.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 26 Oct. 2026
The plan is to find candidates from families that renounced their royal status in 1947, which at the time was to ease the postwar financial burden on the monarchy.

— Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of renounce

Verb

The man fell into a coma and succumbed to the disease on October 9, 2026, after life support was withdrawn.

— Sahas Mehra, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2026
As joyful crowds took to the streets to celebrate the students' victory on Sunday, some in the crowd stoned the withdrawing police and dismantled a camp used by Vucic loyalists in a park in central Belgrade for more than a year.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of withdraw

Verb

Following launch, the mechanism can retract into the container, preserving the system’s compact configuration for transportation and storage.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
The analysis shows how severely the department’s Office for Civil Rights has retracted from its mission, launching an average of about 100 new investigations a month — 1,839 total from Inauguration Day in 2025 through July 2026.

— Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of retract

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abjectly

abjure

abjured

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“Abjure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abjure. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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