relinquish usually does not imply strong feeling but may suggest some regret, reluctance, or weakness.
relinquished her crown
yield implies concession or compliance or submission to force.
the troops yielded ground grudgingly
resign emphasizes voluntary relinquishment or sacrifice without struggle.
resigned her position
surrender implies a giving up after a struggle to retain or resist.
surrendered their claims
abandon stresses finality and completeness in giving up.
abandoned all hope
waive implies conceding or forgoing with little or no compulsion.
waived the right to a trial by jury
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.
abdicated the throne
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.
resigned from the board
Example Sentences
Verb (1) The senator was forced to resign his position. The newspaper's editor resigned after the scandal. He resigned from his job as principal of the school.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In addition, over the weekend, thousands of citizens in Sri Lanka stormed the private residence of the nation's prime minister, forcing him and the country's president to resign. Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, 17 July 2022 The protesters have succeeded in forcing the leaders to resign, but refuse to leave the luxury houses until both of them have vacated their roles. Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 12 July 2022 That day, the parliament speaker’s office announced that Rajapaksa would resign in a video statement. Dylan Butts, NBC News, 11 July 2022 After refusing to resign for months, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson finally succumbed to political pressure and quit.CBS News, 10 July 2022 Johnson finally agreed to step down after one of his closest allies, Treasury Chief Nadhim Zahawi, told the prime minister to resign for the good of the country. Danica Kirka, Orlando Sentinel, 7 July 2022 Fortenberry’s attorney, John Littrell, argued that the conviction has already devastated his client’s life by forcing him to resign from Congress, stripping away his right to vote and own firearms, and putting his federal pension at risk. Brian Melley, BostonGlobe.com, 28 June 2022 The previous prime minister, Theresa May, also temporarily avoided an early end to her term after surviving a confidence vote in 2018, only to see her authority among Conservative lawmakers tumble, forcing her to resign less than six months later.Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2022 The scandal culminated early this year, forcing Zucker to resign under pressure, ostensibly for failing to disclose a relationship with fellow CNN executive Allison Gollust, who was recently forced out over alleged violations of company rules.Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Verb (1)
Middle English, from Anglo-French resigner, from Latin resignare, literally, to unseal, cancel, from re- + signare to sign, seal — more at sign