RELINQUISH Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'relinquish' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of relinquish are abandon , resign , surrender , waive , and yield . While all these words mean "to give up completely," relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness. // relinquished her crown

Q: Where would 'abandon' be a reasonable alternative to 'relinquish'?

While the synonyms abandon and relinquish are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up. // abandoned all hope

Q: In what contexts can 'resign' take the place of 'relinquish'?

The synonyms resign and relinquish are sometimes interchangeable, but resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle. // resigned her position

Q: When is 'surrender' a more appropriate choice than 'relinquish'?

In some situations, the words surrender and relinquish are roughly equivalent. However, surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist. // surrendered their claims

Q: When can 'waive' be used instead of 'relinquish'?

The words waive and relinquish can be used in similar contexts, but waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion. // waived the right to a trial by jury

Q: When could 'yield' be used to replace 'relinquish'?

Although the words yield and relinquish have much in common, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force. // the troops yielded ground grudgingly

relinquish

verb

ri-ˈliŋ-kwish

Definition of relinquish

as in to surrender

to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress the boy reluctantly relinquished the illegal fireworks to the police officer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to abdicate

to give up (as a position of authority) formally the retiring CEO relinquished his position to the company's vice president with very mixed feelings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word relinquish different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of relinquish are abandon, resign, surrender, waive, and yield. While all these words mean "to give up completely," relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.

relinquished her crown

Where would abandon be a reasonable alternative to relinquish?

While the synonyms abandon and relinquish are close in meaning, abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.

abandoned all hope

In what contexts can resign take the place of relinquish?

The synonyms resign and relinquish are sometimes interchangeable, but resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.

resigned her position

When is surrender a more appropriate choice than relinquish?

In some situations, the words surrender and relinquish are roughly equivalent. However, surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.

surrendered their claims

When can waive be used instead of relinquish?

The words waive and relinquish can be used in similar contexts, but waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.

waived the right to a trial by jury

When could yield be used to replace relinquish?

Although the words yield and relinquish have much in common, yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.

the troops yielded ground grudgingly

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 relinquish Moon, meanwhile, is struggling at school but on the precipice of adulthood; as the young woman begins to make her own decisions in life, Yue must relinquish a degree of maternal responsibility. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026 Panettiere had relinquished custody of Kaya to Klitschko in 2018. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026 Tate Nagy relinquished punt return duties to Keaton Kubecka Saturday. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026 One panel was falling, then smashing on the path, lead relinquishing its long grip on the glass. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for relinquish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relinquish

Verb

Garza was shot twice with less-lethal bean bag rounds but did not surrender.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Compassion doesn’t mean that presidents or other public officials should bow to enemies or surrender common sense in tackling the world’s harsh realities.

— Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of surrender

Verb

Naruhito assumed the duties of emperor, a position with ceremonial roles but no political power, after his father Akihito abdicated earlier in the year.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
After both sisters had abdicated planning the memorial, logistical matters—the casket and its transport, the readings, and, yes, the flowers—had fallen to the front desk volunteer of a church my grandmother no longer attended.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of abdicate

Verb

Musk reportedly ordered a slowdown of the military-grade Starlink service used by Ukraine, limiting the speeds at which connected hardware could travel and rendering some offensive and interceptor drones largely ineffective.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Authorities confirmed that the water at the plant had not been chlorinated for about three weeks, rendering it unsafe for human consumption.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of render

Verb

Link resigned from office before pleading guilty to unrelated tax evasion charges in September 2020.

— Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Resigned in September 2025 Storey resigned in September 2025 as pastor of Curé of Ars Catholic Church amid an investigation into a separate issue.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of resign

Verb

This collaborative work delivers a new chemical strategy for fabricating high-performance flexible perovskite modules in China.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026
Synthetic mRNA delivers the instructions on these specific targets, allowing the body to present them to immune cells.

— Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of deliver

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

Browse Nearby Words

religiousness

relinquish

relinquished

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Cite this Entry

Style

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

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Synonyms of relinquish

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