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View synonyms for abdicate

abdicate

[ ab-di-keyt ]

verb (used without object)

abdicated, abdicating.
  1. to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner:

    The aging founder of the firm decided to abdicate.

    Synonyms: quit, resign



verb (used with object)

abdicated, abdicating.
  1. to give up or renounce (authority, duties, an office, etc.), especially in a voluntary, public, or formal manner:

    King Edward VIII of England abdicated the throne in 1936.

    Synonyms: repudiate, abandon

abdicate

/ ˈæbdɪˌkeɪt; ˈæbdɪkəbəl; æbˈdɪkətɪv /

verb

  1. to renounce (a throne, power, responsibility, rights, etc), esp formally
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • abdicative, adjective
  • abdicable, adjective
  • ˈabdiˌcator, noun
  • ˌabdiˈcation, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ab·di·ca·ble [ab, -di-k, uh, -b, uh, l], adjective
  • ab·di·ca·tive [ab, -di-key-tiv, -k, uh, -], adjective
  • abdi·cator noun
  • non·abdi·cative adjective
  • un·abdi·cated adjective
  • un·abdi·cating adjective
  • un·abdi·cative adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of abdicate1

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin abdicāt(us) “renounced,” past participle of abdicāre “to renounce,” from ab- ab- + dicāre “to indicate, consecrate”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of abdicate1

C16: from the past participle of Latin abdicāre to proclaim away, disclaim
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Critics suggest police are abdicating decision-making about women's safety to an algorithm.

From BBC

Our supine Republican Congress, in fear of alienating Musk and Trump, has abdicated its role in this critical balance, handing over control of the purse strings to Trump and Musk.

The metaphor of a “marketplace of ideas” is routinely trotted out by people like Zuckerberg to defend abdicating responsibility for doing what they can to ensure that freedom and democracy thrive.

From Salon

But the story that unfolded brought global spotlight on the case, while its complexity put the country's then British rulers in a spot of bother, and eventually forced an Indian king to abdicate.

From BBC

By quitting that agreement, the U.S. will abdicate any leadership role when it comes to the most consequential issue facing the international community while reducing pressure on China to curb its greenhouse gas emissions.

From Salon

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abdicantabdication