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
Example Sentences
Many of his former supporters have renounced him. He renounced his old way of life.
Recent Examples on the WebFor decades after Wyoming held its first election that saw women vote, federal law held that any Indigenous person looking to cast a ballot needed to renounce their tribal citizenship and apply for an U.S. one, despite being born on U.S. soil.AZCentral.com, 23 Aug. 2022 Figure 2) Krishna has yet to explicitly renounce IBM’s MSV heritage. Steve Denning, Forbes, 25 July 2022 Sosa’s mother and her siblings had to renounce after migrating north — the yearning for home that the director herself inherited — and what Julián himself wants his humble legacy to be once he’s departed. Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2022 She was persuaded to renounce her claim and to sign an N.D.A., in exchange for a million dollars. Ken Auletta, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 McCarthy wasn't the only senior Republican to renounce his heresy on the road to the midterms. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 6 Jan. 2022 Even the most zealous attempts to renounce ubiquitous technologies devolve into rationalization and the invention of creative loopholes.Wired, 28 July 2022 Republican leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them.CBS News, 22 May 2022 Members of other religious minority groups face being detained, arrested, and forced to renounce their faith. Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 3 June 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French renuncer, from Latin renuntiare, from re- + nuntiare to report, from nuntius messenger