abjure
verb
transitive verb
Did you know?
Just as a jury swears to produce an unbiased verdict, and a witness swears to tell the truth on pain of perjury, those who abjure their former ways "swear them away." Abjure (as well as jury and perjury) comes from Latin jurare, which means "to swear" (and which in turn is based on the root jus, meaning "law"), plus the prefix ab-, meaning "away." These days, we can casually abjure (that is, abstain from) various vices, but in the 15th and 16th centuries to abjure was a matter of renouncing something under oath—and sometimes a matter of life and death. For example, during the Spanish Inquisition, individuals were given the choice between abjuring unacceptable beliefs and being burned at the stake.
Synonyms
- abnegate
- forswear
- foreswear
- recant
- renege
- renounce
- repeal
- repudiate
- retract
- take back
- unsay
- withdraw
Example Sentences
San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2022 His new book, Because Our Fathers Lied, is a valiant and abrasive attempt to sift through a legacy his father refused to abjure. Noah Kulwin, The New Republic, 6 July 2022 The potential to abjure the will of the people in order to advance a partisan agenda seems vast. Chris Cillizza, CNN, 28 Jan. 2022 Sinema gets permission to hide from the press and abjure her constituents in part because she has been given the centrist/moderate stamp of approval. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 6 Oct. 2021 The attempt by Protestant reformer John Calvin to vindicate God’s sovereignty ultimately forced him to abjure any meaningful belief in human free will, leaving us as either tools in the hands of our Maker or utter slaves to sin. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 25 Jan. 2021 Taking the oath to absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure my homeland was more terrifying. Jakki Kerubo, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 Generally, Majumdar abjures commentary and interior analysis in favor of incident, the decisive ramifications of action. James Wood, The New Yorker, 1 June 2020 Passionately denouncing the inequity of his time, Francis of Assisi abjured his wealth and joined the beggars. Karen Armstrong, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2020 See More Word History
Middle English abjuren, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French abjurer, borrowed from Medieval Latin abjūrāre, "to repudiate, renounce (a right or claim), swear to stay away from," going back to Latin, "to deny knowledge of falsely under oath, repudiate," from ab- ab- + jūrāre "to swear" — more at jury entry 1
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Legal Definition
abjure
transitive verb
abjure
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- renounce
- withdraw
- retract
- forswear
- deny
- abandon
- contradict
- recant
- relinquish
- refute
- foreswear
- repudiate
- repeal
- renege
- unsay
- abnegate
- take back
- forsake
- disavow
- spurn
- disown
- gainsay
- disclaim
- controvert
- recall
- revoke
- surrender
- negate
- disprove
- dispute
- rebut
- back down
- negative
- disallow
- backtrack
- back off
- bolt
- give up
- disagree (with)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- maintain
- affirm
- declare
- admit
- acknowledge
- assert
- contend
- claim
- profess
- adhere (to)
- proclaim
- maintain
- state
- defend
- accept
- support
- endorse
- avow
- confirm
- adopt
- uphold
- vow
- embrace
- vouch
- indorse
- back
- espouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
- avoid
- forgo
- forbear
- forego
- shun
- deny
- eschew
- refuse
- withhold (from)
- abstain (from)
- refrain (from)
- keep (from)
- curb
- repudiate
- reject
- constrain
- inhibit
- check
- combat
- fight
- buck
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- submit (to)
- yield (to)
- surrender (to)
- succumb (to)
- bow (to)
- capitulate
- concede (to)
- give in (to)
- acquiesce (to)
- knuckle under (to)
Synonym Chooser
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.
In some situations, the words forswear and abjure are roughly equivalent. However, forswear may add an implication of perjury or betrayal.
The synonyms recant and abjure are sometimes interchangeable, but recant stresses the withdrawing or denying of something professed or taught.
Although the words renounce and abjure have much in common, renounce may carry the meaning of disclaim or disown.
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.