repudiate

/ɹɪˈpjuː.di.eɪt/

Etymology

First attested in 1543; from Latin repudiātus, the perfect passive participle of repudiō (“to cast off, reject”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), from repudium (“rejection, repudiation, divorce”).

repudiate means Repudiated by a husband, divorced. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.

Why this word is great

REPUDIATE — [Verb] To reject the truth, validity, or authority of something, or to disown a person or obligation. From Latin repudiātus, the past participle of repudiāre ("to reject, refuse"), from repudium ("rejection, divorce"). Unlike "disavow," which shrinks from association to avoid blame, or "decline," which politely refuses an offer, to repudiate is to enact a public and principled severance. It is a diplomat tearing a treaty before the assembly, a parent striking a name from the family bible in dark, deliberate ink, or a scholar’s footnote that coolly dismantles a foundational theory—a conscious act of unmaking that leaves only the resonant finality of a lock that can never be opened again.

adj

Repudiated by a husband, divorced.
Repudiated after betrothal or engagement.
Set aside, rejected.

noun

A divorced wife.

verb

To reject the truth or validity of; to deny.“The fierce willingness to repudiate domination in a holistic manner is the starting point for progressive cultural revolution.”
To refuse to have any relation to; to disown.“It was not enough just to shoot the Old Bolsheviks; Stalin had to have the show trials. He had to demonstrate publicly that these men of enormous energy and spirit were so utterly broken as to openly repudiate themselves and all they had fought for.”
To refuse to pay or honor (a debt).“'[…] she dictated to Briggs a furious answer in her own native tongue, repudiating Mrs. Rawdon Crawley altogether […]'”
To be repudiated.