repudiation
/ri,pju:di'eiʃn/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun 1. The act of rejecting, disowning, or refusing to accept something as valid, true, or binding. - This refers to a formal, strong, and often public rejection or denial of the authority, truth, or obligations of something. 2. The refusal to acknowledge, honor, or pay a debt or contractual obligation. - This specifically applies to financial or legal contexts where a party denies responsibility for a debt or the terms of an agreement.
Usage and Examples
- The senator's repudiation of the party's new policy caused a major political scandal. (Here, 'repudiation' means a strong public rejection of the policy's validity.)
- The company's repudiation of the contract left the other party with significant losses. (This shows a refusal to honor a binding agreement.)
- His public repudiation of his earlier statements confused his supporters. (This illustrates disowning or rejecting something one previously said as invalid.)
- The country's repudiation of its foreign debt damaged its international credit rating. (This is a specific example of refusing to acknowledge or pay a financial obligation.)
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- Repudiation often carries a formal, legal, or official tone. It is stronger than simple "rejection" and implies a complete denial of validity or responsibility.
- In legal contexts, "anticipatory repudiation" occurs when one party to a contract clearly indicates, before performance is due, that they will not fulfill their obligations.
- The act of repudiation can be directed at ideas, doctrines, claims, allegiances, debts, contracts, or even people (e.g., repudiating a family member).
Variants and Related Words
- Repudiate (verb): The action form. "The government decided to the treaty."
- Repudiator (noun): A person or entity that repudiates.
Synonyms
- Rejection
- Renunciation
- Disavowal
- Denial
- Abandonment (in the context of ideas or principles)
Antonyms
- Acceptance
- Acknowledgment
- Endorsement
- Ratification
- Affirmation
Related Phrases and Concepts
- Breach of contract: While related, a breach is a failure to perform, whereas repudiation is a refusal to perform or an outright denial of the contract's validity.
- Debt default: A failure to pay a debt. Repudiation is a specific, often declared, refusal to pay or acknowledge the debt.
- To disown: Similar in meaning when referring to people or ideas, but less formal and legal than repudiate.
Noun
- the exposure of falseness or pretensions
- the debunking of religion has been too successful
- refusal to acknowledge or pay a debt or honor a contract (especially by public authorities)
- the repudiation of the debt by the city
- rejecting or disowning or disclaiming as invalid
- Congressional repudiation of the treaty that the President had negotiated