verb
repudiate
rih-PYOO-dee-ayt/rɪˈpjuːdieɪt/
To firmly reject something or deny any connection with it.
The woman repudiates the proposed contract and pushes it back.
Etymology
Latin repudiare covered both putting away a spouse by divorce and rejecting something more generally. The English verb retains that force of casting something off or refusing to acknowledge it.
In context
they simply took her back, as whole heartedly as was possible to them. Whatever incredible and discreditable occurrence may have interrupted that dazzling wedding, they would not repudiate her.
More examples
- The organization repudiated its former leader's racist statements.
- He refused to repudiate the agreement.
- The court heard his attempt to repudiate responsibility for the debt.
Forms
repudiate · repudiates · repudiated · repudiating
repudiation noun — firm rejection or denial