RETRACTED Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

retracted 1 of 2

adjective

as in revoked

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retracted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of retract

as in withdrew

to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to) the newspaper was forced to retract the story, which turned out to be based on fabricated reporting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 retracted

Adjective

Notably, 90% of 190 sick individuals in the current case reported eating iceberg lettuce, a robust epidemiological link independent of the retracted test. — Lisa Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026 On April 22, 2026, Springer Nature posted a retracted article notice almost a year after initial publication. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 4 May 2026 The reading assignments prepared for the judges include a Substack post by a notable climate contrarian accusing the authors of the retracted climate chapter in the federal court’s reference manual of including material by Burger and hiding his authorship. — Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 2 May 2026 In a demo at CES 2026, Bluetooth SIG marketing VP Dave Hollander set an unlock distance on a phone across the room from a Bauer smart lock—then walked within 2 feet of the lock, leading its deadbolt to whir into the retracted position. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 Mar. 2026 The three presenters on the hepatitis B vaccine were not vaccine scientists, and two had authored a retracted paper about autism. — Dr. Debra Houry, Time, 5 Dec. 2025 Here’s how the situation unfolded and why the since-retracted comment was so controversial. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025 Nonetheless, the global ACV market is now valued at more than US$1 billion (2023-2024) and continues to grow – something that one retracted study is unlikely to impact. — New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2025 In 1998, former physician Andrew Wakefield and his colleagues published a since-retracted paper claiming that the MMR vaccine could cause autism in children. — Dominik Stecuła, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2025

Verb

But as post-WWII agriculture shifted toward chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and heavy machinery, the need for kudzu decreased rapidly, and the federal government retracted its support for the crop. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026 Drivers should remain stopped until the arm is retracted and the bus begins moving again. — Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026 Three others in the group — 14, 15 and 16 at the time — implicated Noling in the slayings of the Hartigs during a burglary but later retracted their statements, saying that police pressured them to name Noling as the shooter. — ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026 Only when the United States retracted those measures and agreed to further talks, in June, did China agree to resume exports of rare earths and magnets. — Gloria Xiong, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 The myth that they’re somehow linked stems from a single report from England involving just a dozen children that was later found to be fraudulent and unethical and was forced to be retracted. — Andrew D. Racine, STAT, 14 Aug. 2026 Sign Up for Our Free Daily Newsletter A controversial 2024 study that some vaccine skeptics used to argue that millions of people likely died as a result of COVID vaccines has been retracted over misinformation and issues with the research. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026 Rumors swirled about Alito’s retirement plans after NPR published and then retracted an article by reporter Nina Totenberg that Alito would be retiring from his role on the bench at the end of the court’s 2025-26 term. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 7 Aug. 2026 The claim of a link stems from an unethical, fraudulent study that was retracted years ago, and its author was stripped of his medical license. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retracted

Adjective

The withheld funding supports election monitoring, independent media and other pro-democracy programs abroad.

— Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025

Definition of withheld

Verb

Fritz advanced to the final in 2024, but was defeated by Jannik Sinner (who just withdrew from the 2026 US Open with a knee injury) at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center.

— Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
In 2024, the DSA’s national political committee withdrew its conditional endorsement of her reelection, citing disagreements over Israel and Gaza, among other issues.

— Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of withdrew

Adjective

General Manager Ken Holland hinted at potentially being done after trading center Phillip Danault for a draft pick in December and acquiring Panarin at a suppressed price in February, though he has been known to under-promise often and, sometimes, over-deliver.

— Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
Supervising sound editor Alastair Sirkett told IndieWire that Peter Claffey’s big, former-rugby-player frame really helps that moment sing with suppressed panic.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026

Definition of suppressed

Verb

Yermolaiev has lived in the glitzy city state on the Mediterranean coast for several years, having left Ukraine and renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 to become a citizen of Cyprus.

— Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Their virality comes at a time when the very generation that inspired them has largely renounced the label.

— Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of renounced

Verb

Evidence contradicted his story of being attacked with a box cutter, including an absence of blood on the weapon’s blade, officials said.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 Aug. 2026
Prosecutors reduced some to misdemeanors, and dismissed others when evidence came to light that directly contradicted what agents had alleged happened.

— Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of contradicted

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retract

retracted

retracting

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Style

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

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Synonyms of retracted

adjective

verb

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