abdication

noun

ab·​di·​ca·​tion ˌab-di-ˈkā-shən 

plural abdications

: an act of abdicating: such as

a

: an act of giving up sovereign power or high office

The desire of King Edward VIII to marry divorced U.S. socialite Wallis Simpson led to the king's abdication in 1936, an event that also brought Harry, his father Prince Charles and his brother, Prince William, into the line of succession.

—Martha Ross

From the advent of Alexander the Great, in 332 B.C., to the abdication of King Farouk, in 1952, the country was ruled without interruption by non-Egyptians.

—Milton Viorst

b

: an act of abandoning or discarding a right, responsibility, etc.

an abdication of authority

The militants took the liberties of Europe as a sign of moral and political abdication.

—Fouad Ajami

When the majority throws up its hands because the problems are too tough, that's simply an abdication of responsibility.

—Michael S. Serrill

Examples of abdication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The surprise abdication of Queen Margrethe II in late December 2023 received widespread international press coverage, as did the coronation of her son King Frederik X in January 2024. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2025

And an abdication of your duty to hold ALL public officials to account. —Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025

Editor’s picks The World War II wordplay was evidently a bridge too far for Greenblatt after the ADL had gone to bat for Musk in a statement on the inauguration salute that was widely seen as an abdication of the nonprofit’s exact purpose. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2025

Grand Duke Jean had been on the throne for 36 years before his abdication. —Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 25 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abdication

• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation
• adaptation