Word of the Day
: November 25, 2023

\AB-nih-gayt\ verb

What It Means

Abnegate is a formal word that is most often used to mean "to deny or renounce" in contexts relating to responsibility: if you abnegate your responsibilities, you deny them and refuse to do what those responsibilities require. Abnegate can also mean "to surrender or relinquish," especially in contexts in which someone is abandoning their own desires or interests.

// The letter outlined ways in which the mayor had abnegated his responsibilities to the city's employees.

// Their spiritual practice teaches that the self must be abnegated in order to achieve deep inner peace.

See the entry >

abnegate in Context

All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com