An example of repudiate is to go against an argument in a debate.
- to refuse to have anything to do with; disown or cast off publicly
- to refuse to accept or support; deny the validity or authority of (a belief, a treaty, etc.)
- to deny the truth of (a charge, etc.)
- to refuse to acknowledge or pay (a debt or obligation): said esp. of a government
Origin of repudiate; from Classical Latin repudiatus, past participle of repudiare, to put away, divorce ; from repudium, separation, a divorce ; from re-, away, back + base of pudere, to feel shame
transitive verbre·pu·di·at·ed, re·pu·di·at·ing, re·pu·di·ates
- To reject the validity or authority of: “Chaucer &ellipsis; not only came to doubt the worth of his extraordinary body of work, but repudiated it” (Joyce Carol Oates).
- To reject emphatically as unfounded, untrue, or unjust: repudiated the accusation.
- To refuse to recognize or pay: repudiate a debt.
- a. To disown (a child, for example).b. To refuse to have any dealings with.
Origin of repudiateLatin repudiare, repudiat-, from repudium, divorce.
(third-person singular simple present repudiates, present participle repudiating, simple past and past participle repudiated)
From Latin repudiÅ (“cast off, reject"), from repudium (“divorce")