Definition of ABDICATED (original) (raw)
: to renounce a throne, high office, dignity, or function
The king was forced to abdicate.
1
: to relinquish (something, such as sovereign power) formally
2
: to cast off : discard
abdicate a responsibility
Did you know?
Give it up for abdicate, a word powerful enough to undo a coronation. If you need a term to describe formally throwing in the towel, this one should prove—perhaps ironically—a royal success. Coming from the prefix ab- (meaning “from,” “away,” or “off”) and the Latin verb dīcere (meaning “to speak”), abdicate is used primarily for those who give up sovereign power or who evade a very serious responsibility. English has dīcere to thank for a hodgepodge of other words, among them dictate, contradict, prediction, and the crown jewel of them all: dictionary.
Did you know?
Several words may be confused with abdicate through either a similarity of sound or of meaning. Among these are abrogate, abjure, and resign. All of these words have multiple meanings that are quite distinct from one another, yet each also has a degree of semantic overlap that renders them nearly synonymous with at least one of the others.
Abdicate is most often used to describe a head of state or member of a royal family voluntarily renouncing a position. It may also refer to the act of failing to fulfill a duty a responsibility. It shares this second meaning with abrogate (although the “failing to fulfill one’s duty” sense of this word is more common in the United Kingdom than in the United States). The senses of abrogate most commonly found are “to annul” or “to do away with.”
Abjure may be used to mean “to abstain from” or “to give up,” but often is used with the meaning of “to disclaim formally or renounce upon oath” (it comes from the Latin jurare, meaning “to swear”).
And finally, resign is often used with the meaning of “to give up one’s office or position.”
Despite the similarities among these words, they tend to be used in fairly specific settings. You would not typically tell your employer that you are abdicating your position in order to look for a better job; you would say that you are resigning. And when the king of a country renounces his claim on the throne to marry his one true love, he would be said to abdicate, rather than resign, his position.
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for abdicate
abdicate, renounce, resign mean to give up a position with no possibility of resuming it.
abdicate implies a giving up of sovereign power or sometimes an evading of responsibility such as that of a parent.
renounce may replace it but often implies additionally a sacrifice for a greater end.
renounced her inheritance by marrying a commoner
resign applies to the giving up of an unexpired office or trust.
Examples of abdicate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web As in the Columbine days, the new zero tolerance allows adults to abdicate responsibility for doing harder work in exchange for the quick fix. —
Gayle Forman, Peoplemag, 18 July 2024 Queen Margrethe, 84, abdicated the throne in January, officially making her eldest son and his wife the new monarch and queen consort. —Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 26 July 2024 In two months, the February Revolution had forced Nicholas to abdicate. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 9 July 2024 And as Washington and other democratic powers abdicate their responsibility for the world, smaller powers may abandon their hopes for a peaceful international order and instead submit to the bullies in their neighborhoods. —Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 8 Jan. 2019 See all Example Sentences for abdicate 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abdicate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin abdicātus, past participle of abdicāre, "to resign, renounce, withdraw," from ab- ab- + -dicāre, ablaut derivative of dīc- (going back to *deik-) in dīcere "to speak, state" — more at diction
First Known Use
1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of abdicate was in 1548
Dictionary Entries Near abdicate
Cite this Entry
“Abdicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abdicate. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.
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Last Updated: 11 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
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