renunciant

Renunciant is a noun used to describe a person who renounces something, typically wealth, family ties, social status, or conventional life, in pursuit of a higher aim such as spiritual, ethical, or political commitments. The term derives from the Latin renunciare, meaning “to renounce,” with the agentive suffix -ant. In English, renunciant is uncommon and largely confined to scholarly or historical writing; its synonyms include renunciator or renunciate, though each carries distinct nuances.

In religious and philosophical contexts, renunciants are associated with ascetic practices that emphasize renunciation of worldly attachments. In Christian literature of the medieval and early modern periods, individuals who gave up property and kin to follow strict vows may be described as renunciants. Similar figures appear in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and other traditions, where renunciation of worldly life is a central theme. In these contexts, the practice is often described using terms specific to the tradition (such as sannyasa in Hinduism or bhiksha in Buddhism) rather than the English label renunciant.

Modern usage of the term is rare outside academic or descriptive writing, but it may appear in ethnographic, theological, or literary works to characterize people who deliberately abandon conventional social roles to pursue spiritual, ethical, or political ideals, including voluntary poverty or deliberate nonconformity.

See also: asceticism, renunciation, vow of poverty, sannyasa, monk, renunciate.