disavow
verb
dis·avow ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇ 
disavowed; disavowing; disavows
transitive verb
1
: to deny responsibility for : repudiate
disavowed the actions of his subordinates
2
: to refuse to acknowledge or accept : disclaim
party leaders disavowed him
… have publicly disavowed any claim on the Graceland estate.
Dan Chu
Dan Chu disavowable
ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇-ə-bəl
adjective disavowal
ˌdis-ə-ˈvau̇(-ə)l
noun 
Did you know?
If you trace the etymology of disavow back through Middle English to Anglo-French, you'll arrive eventually at the prefix des- and the verb avouer, meaning "to avow." The prefix des-, in turn, derives from the Latin prefix dis-, meaning "apart." That Latin prefix plays a significant role in many current English words, including disadvantage, disappoint, and disagree. Avouer is from Latin advocare, meaning "to summon," and is also the source of our word advocate.
Synonyms
- contradict
- deny
- disaffirm
- disallow
- disclaim
- disconfirm
- disown
- gainsay
- negate
- negative
- refute
- reject
- repudiate
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He disavowed the actions of his subordinates. She now seems to be trying to disavow her earlier statements.
Recent Examples on the Web Palfrey and Liss-Riordan agreed to disavow spending by independent expenditure committees, but Campbell has not signed on. Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022 The suits caused Newsmax to disavow its own coverage on air and later led to one of its anchors fleeing the studio when a guest started making false claims about fraud. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 25 Apr. 2022 Lesser and Gouveia sent a letter to state party leadership last month calling on it to denounce the PAC and for Driscoll to disavow its support, citing the donors’ support of national Republicans. Matt Stout, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2022 Another culprit is the refusal by the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats to disavow tax increases or costly regulations. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 28 July 2022 But the grinding war in Ukraine is increasing pressure on China to disavow Putin’s aggression or face international condemnation that could upend its own strategies in challenging the U.S. for global superiority. Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2022 Mainstream opposition organizations generally disavow such activities, while supporting armed resistance in rural areas that are more often subject to brutal military attacks. David Rising And Eileen Ng, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 July 2022 Mainstream opposition organizations generally disavow such activities, while supporting armed resistance in rural areas that are more often subject to brutal military attacks. David Rising, Anchorage Daily News, 25 July 2022 Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh both suggested that the court could disavow Lemon v. Kurtzman, an Establishment clause precedent that is no longer used by the Supreme Court but still remains on the books. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 21 June 2022 See More
Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022 The suits caused Newsmax to disavow its own coverage on air and later led to one of its anchors fleeing the studio when a guest started making false claims about fraud. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 25 Apr. 2022 Lesser and Gouveia sent a letter to state party leadership last month calling on it to denounce the PAC and for Driscoll to disavow its support, citing the donors’ support of national Republicans. Matt Stout, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2022 Another culprit is the refusal by the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats to disavow tax increases or costly regulations. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 28 July 2022 But the grinding war in Ukraine is increasing pressure on China to disavow Putin’s aggression or face international condemnation that could upend its own strategies in challenging the U.S. for global superiority. Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2022 Mainstream opposition organizations generally disavow such activities, while supporting armed resistance in rural areas that are more often subject to brutal military attacks. David Rising And Eileen Ng, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 July 2022 Mainstream opposition organizations generally disavow such activities, while supporting armed resistance in rural areas that are more often subject to brutal military attacks. David Rising, Anchorage Daily News, 25 July 2022 Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh both suggested that the court could disavow Lemon v. Kurtzman, an Establishment clause precedent that is no longer used by the Supreme Court but still remains on the books. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 21 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English desavowen, from Anglo-French desavouer, from des- dis- + avouer to avow
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
disavowal
noun
as in denial
a refusal to confirm the truth of a statement the mayor's disavowal of the rumor that a terrorist threat had been received put our minds at rest Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- denial
- rejection
- repudiation
- negation
- contradiction
- refutation
- denegation
- disclaimer
- rebuttal
- disallowance
- disconfirmation
- disproof
- negative
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- acknowledgment
- confirmation
- acknowledgement
- admission
- declaration
- confession
- avowal
- affirmation
- assertion
- concession
- testimony
- documentation
- validation
- testament
- corroboration
- substantiation
- attestation