Formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure.

synonyms: abjure, forswear, resile, retract.

Roget 950: repent, be sorry for; be penitent etc. adj.; rue; regret etc. 833; think better of; recant etc. 607; knock under etc. (submit) 725; plead guilty; sing miserere [Lat.], sing de profundis [Lat.]; cry peccavi; own oneself in the wrong; acknowledge, confess &c., (disclose) 529; humble oneself; beg pardon etc. (apologize) 952; turn over a new leaf, put on the new man, turn from sin; reclaim; repent in sackcloth and ashes &c., (do penance) 952; learn by experience.    ... show more

Roget 489: dissent, demur; call in question etc. (doubt) 485; differ in opinion, disagree; say no etc. 536; refuse assent, refuse to admit; cavil, protest, raise one's voice against, repudiate; contradict etc. (deny) 536.    have no notion of, differ toto caelo [Lat.]; revolt at, revolt from the idea.    shake the head, shrug the shoulders; look askance, look askant^†.    secede; recant etc. 607.    ... show more

Roget 536: deny; contradict, contravene; controvert, give denial to, gainsay, negative, shake the head.    disown, disaffirm, disclaim, disavow; recant etc. 607; revoke etc. (abrogate) 756.    dispute; impugn, traverse, rebut, join issue upon; bring in question, call in question etc. (doubt) 485; give the lie in his throat, give one the lie in his throat.    deny flatly, deny peremptorily, deny emphatically, deny absolutely, deny wholly, deny entirely; give the lie to, belie.    repudiate etc. 610; set aside, ignore etc. 460; rebut etc. (confute) 479; qualify etc. 469; refuse etc. 764.    recuse [Law].    ... show more

Roget 607: change one's mind, change one's intention, change one's purpose, change one's note; abjure, renounce; withdraw from etc. (relinquish) 624; waver, vacillate; wheel round, turn round, veer round; turn a pirouette; go over from one side to another, pass from one side to another, change from one side to another, skip from one side to another; go to the rightabout; box the compass, shift one's ground, go upon another tack.    apostatize, change sides, go over, rat; recant, retract; revoke; rescind etc. (abrogate) 756; recall; forswear, unsay; come over, come round to an opinion; crawfish [U.S.], crawl [U.S.].    draw in one's horns, eat one's words; eat the leek, swallow the leek; swerve, flinch, back out of, retrace one's steps, think better of it; come back return to one's first love; turn over a new leaf etc. (repent) 950.    trim, shuffle, play fast and loose, blow hot and cold, coquet, be on the fence, straddle, bold with the hare but run with the hounds; nager entre deux eaux [Fr.]; wait to see how the cat jumps, wait to see how the wind blows.    ... show more

Roget 756: abrogate, annul, cancel; destroy etc. 162; abolish; revoke, repeal, rescind, reverse, retract, recall; abolitionize^†; overrule, override; set aside; disannul, dissolve, quash, nullify, declare null and void; disestablish, disendow^†; deconsecrate.    disclaim etc. (deny) 536; ignore, repudiate; recant etc. 607; divest oneself, break off.    countermand, counter order; do away with; sweep away, brush away; throw overboard, throw to the dogs; scatter to the winds, cast behind.    dismiss, discard; cast off, turn off, cast out, cast adrift, cast out of doors, cast aside, cast away; send off, send away, send packing, send about one's business; discharge, get rid of etc. (eject) 297; bounce [U.S.]; fire [Slang], fire out [Slang]; sack [Slang].    cashier; break; oust; unseat, unsaddle; unthrone^†, dethrone, disenthrone^†; depose, uncrown^†; unfrock, strike off the roll; disbar, disbench^†.    be abrogated &c.; receive its quietus; walk the plank.    ... show more

Dutch: ontkennen, intrekken, herroepen, [[verzaken]] [[aan]] een [[eed]], afzweren