abjure

verb

ab·​jure ab-ˈju̇r 

abjured; abjuring

transitive verb

1

formal

a

: to renounce upon oath

He abjured his allegiance to his former country.

b

: to reject solemnly

She abjured her old beliefs.

2

formal : to abstain from : avoid

abjure extravagance

abjurer noun formal

Did you know?

Just as a jury swears to produce an unbiased verdict, and a witness swears to tell the truth on pain of perjury, those who abjure their former ways "swear them away." Abjure (as well as jury and perjury) comes from Latin jurare, which means "to swear" (and which in turn is based on the root jus, meaning "law"), plus the prefix ab-, meaning "away." These days, we can casually abjure (that is, abstain from) various vices, but in the 15th and 16th centuries to abjure was a matter of renouncing something under oath—and sometimes a matter of life and death. For example, during the Spanish Inquisition, individuals were given the choice between abjuring unacceptable beliefs and being burned at the stake.

Synonyms

• abnegate
• forswear
• foreswear
• recant
• renege
• renounce
• repeal
• repudiate
• retract
• take back
• unsay
• withdraw

Choose the Right Synonym for abjure

abjure, renounce, forswear, recant, retract mean to withdraw one's word or professed belief.

abjure implies a firm and final rejecting or abandoning often made under oath.

abjured the errors of his former faith

renounce may carry the meaning of disclaim or disown.

renounced abstract art and turned to portrait painting

forswear may add an implication of perjury or betrayal.

I cannot forswear my principles

recant stresses the withdrawing or denying of something professed or taught.

if they recant they will be spared

retract applies to the withdrawing of a promise, an offer, or an accusation.

the newspaper had to retract the story

Examples of abjure in a Sentence

abjured some long-held beliefs when she converted to another religion

a strict religious sect that abjures the luxuries, comforts, and conveniences of the modern world

Recent Examples on the Web

The Abrahamic faiths conceive of God as an omniscient creator and generally abjure gambling as a result; one of the first laws passed by the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned the possession of cards, dice, or gaming tables. —Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

In the end, de Hales agreed to abjure the realm, which meant walking, barefoot, to the port of Chester, a hundred and thirty miles away, holding a wooden cross and wearing sackcloth, and taking a ship across the Irish Sea, never to return. —Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2024

Elite progressive educational institutions were unlikely to experience a radical moral epiphany the moment the Supreme Court made its ruling, and abjure their discriminatory impulses and racial fixations. —The Editors, National Review, 8 Aug. 2023

This scenario—the Russian nationalist who abjures the war—is Ukraine’s quickest path to some sort of victory. —Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abjuren, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French abjurer, borrowed from Medieval Latin abjūrāre, "to repudiate, renounce (a right or claim), swear to stay away from," going back to Latin, "to deny knowledge of falsely under oath, repudiate," from ab- ab- + jūrāre "to swear" — more at jury entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

abjure

verb

ab·​jure ab-ˈju̇(ə)r 

abjured; abjuring

formal

: to give up, abandon, or reject solemnly

abjure beliefs

Legal Definition

abjure

transitive verb

ab·​jure ab-ˈju̇r, əb- 

abjured; abjuring

: renounce

specifically : to disclaim formally or renounce upon oath

solemnly abjures his allegiance to his former country

abjuration

ˌab-jə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

Etymology

Latin abjurare, from ab- off + jurare to swear