Renounce

Renounce is a verb meaning to formally declare abandonment or rejection of a claim, belief, or affiliation. A person may renounce a right or title, a citizenship, a relationship, or a political or religious position. The act is typically deliberate and publicly stated, and in some contexts may have legal consequences.

In legal and governmental contexts, renunciation involves a formal declaration to relinquish rights or status. Examples include renouncing inheritance, renouncing a claim, or renouncing citizenship, where the act may be subject to rules and conditions set by law. In politics, a figure might renounce allegiance to a regime or country. In religion, adherents may renounce beliefs or practices as part of a conversion or disavowal.

The word derives from Old French renoncer, from Latin renuntiare or related roots, with the sense of giving up or declaring something anew. The noun form is renunciation.

Renounce differs from recant, which focuses on retracting a previously stated belief, and from relinquish or abdicate, which emphasize giving up control or possession. Renunciation often implies a formal, public, or irreversible action, though some contexts permit reversal or review.

Examples: She renounced her claim to the throne. He renounced his citizenship. The community called on members to renounce violence.