Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To recant solemnly; renounce or repudiate.
- transitive verb To renounce under oath; forswear.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To renounce upon oath; forswear; withdraw formally from: as, to
abjure allegiance to a prince. - To renounce or repudiate; abandon; retract; especially, to renounce or retract with solemnity: as, to
abjure one's errors or wrong practices. - To take an oath of abjuration.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To renounce upon oath; to forswear; to disavow.
To abjure the realm , is to swear to abandon it forever. - transitive verb To renounce or reject with solemnity; to recant; to abandon forever; to reject; repudiate.
- intransitive verb To renounce on oath.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To abstain from; to
avoid ; toshun .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word abjure.
Examples
-
Indeed, as George Orwell observed, "Those who 'abjure' violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."
Archive 2009-04-01 Dr. Sanity 2009
-
These are the very people Orwell was describing, who 'abjure' violence and are not even aware that they are kept safe by 'rough men' ready to do violence on their behalf.
Archive 2009-04-01 Dr. Sanity 2009
-
This is Orwell's definition of a particular segement of society: "Those who" abjure "violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."
Sound Politics: "Are Iraqi rebels cheering Dems big election wins?" 2006
-
And you'll impress your pals when you drop "abjure" or "loquacity" in conversation.
Dan Brown: This Videogame Makes You Smarter and Helps the Hungry: The FreeRice Phenomenon 2008
-
"Those who 'abjure' violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."
Shame on NBC News. Ann Althouse 2007
-
And in his 'Notes on Nationalism' (1945) he wrote: "Those who" abjure "violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."
George Orwell FAQ - George Orwell: The Chestnut Tree Cafe 2003
-
That, presumably, is why he must 'abjure' this 'rough magic' by breaking his magical staff and drowning his book.
Shakespeare Bevington, David 2002
-
Erard exclaimed that she must "abjure" or be burnt at once.
The Story of Rouen Theodore Andrea Cook 1897
-
There was some murmuring among the crowd during this long ceremony; for while Jeanne was alive the English soldiery dared attempt nothing fresh; and they only saw in her refusals to "abjure" an immediate reason for handing her over from the ecclesiastical justice to the secular, whose ways were swifter.
The Story of Rouen Theodore Andrea Cook 1897
-
'Pak has evidence about India's involvement in Balochistan' today said Government was willing to open talks with the Maoists provided they "abjure" violence which, he said, was the only hurdle to hold
WN.com - Articles related to Pak charge of funding Taliban absurd, baseless: Antony 2009
hernesheir commented on the word abjure
(v.t.) to renounce, foreswear, or deny upon oath; to reject, recant, abandon, repudiate.
December 30, 2008
131500348 commented on the word abjure
“I abjure with a sincere heart and unfeigned faith, I curse and detest the said errors and heresies, and generally all and every error and sect contrary to the Holy Catholic Church.” - Galileo Galilei
December 15, 2010
khunsa commented on the word abjure
To renounce or reject upon oath,
May 21, 2018