DISOWN Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

disown

verb

(ˌ)dis-ˈōn

Definition of disown

as in to deny

to declare not to be true he steadfastly disowned that he was having an affair

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to refuse

to refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as one's responsibility the dictatorial father angrily disowned his rebellious son

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of disown Some Sox fans claimed to disown the team back then, and now are jumping back on the bandwagon. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026 He was also forced to disown his family. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 1 June 2026 The same fiber that the broader industry is scrambling to disown is also winding deeper, tighter—and, indeed, faster—into the Chinese economy. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 12 Mar. 2026 Glen Powell plays a charming guy disowned by his wealthy family when he was born. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disown

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disown

Verb

Anderson, who long had been considered a suspect in Shakur’s killing, denied involvement before his death in an unrelated Compton shooting in 1998 at age 23.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Edwards has denied the allegations, but ended his reelection bid after the House Ethics Committee posted their investigative findings last month.

— Claudia Grisales, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of deny

Verb

The filing accused Thomas of having refused to allow nannies into his house with his daughter, including one assigned by the court, and of using drugs.

— Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026
When the district refused to scrap those policies, the agency rescinded the unrelated federal grants.

— Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of refuse

Verb

The Athletic reported on Monday that all parties have now been in direct communication to confirm the deal is off after City’s bid of an initial £75m and £5m in add-ons was rejected.

— The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Palal also rejected the defense’s contention that Davis fabricated his accounts to make money.

— Jonathan Landrum Jr, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of reject

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disorients

disown

disowned

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Style

“Disown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disown. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of disown

verb

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