Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

repudiate

/ɹɪˈpjuː.di.eɪt/ verb

In Latin: negō First recorded: 1543 Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about repudiate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Cast off.
She renounced her husband
Refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid.
The woman repudiated the divorce settlement
Refuse to recognize or pay.
repudiate a debt

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word