repudiated

Repudiated is the past tense and past participle of the verb repudiate. The term means to reject, renounce, or disavow something as invalid, untrue, or unworthy of support. It can describe a personal stance, a claim, an authority, or a contract that has been disowned or denied. The noun form is repudiation, and the adjective form is repudiative in some usages, though repudiated is most common when describing a completed act.

In legal and contractual contexts, repudiation refers to a party’s unequivocal statement or conduct showing it will not perform its obligations when due. This can be express, with a clear declaration of non-performance, or implied, arising from actions that make performance impossible or materially inconsistent with the contract. Anticipatory repudiation occurs before performance is due, permitting the non-breaching party to treat the contract as terminated and to seek damages or other remedies. The concept hinges on the materiality of the breach and the other party’s reasonable reliance on continued performance.

Beyond contract law, repudiation can concern debt, treaties, or political commitments, where an entity denies obligation, responsibility, or legitimacy. In financial contexts, repudiation may involve renouncing debt or guarantees; in diplomacy, it can denote disavowal of agreements or recognition. Usage tends to be formal and is common in legal opinions, court decisions, and policy discussions.

See also: repudiation of contract, anticipatory repudiation, repudiation risk.