abdicate

UK /ˈæb.dɪˌkeɪt/verb

abdicate is spelled A-B-D-I-C-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, abdicate means “To surrender, renounce or relinquish, as sovereign power; to withdraw definitely from filling or exercising, as a high office, station, dignity; to…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in abdicate?

Letters	8: A-B-D-I-C-A-T-E
Syllables	3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing	about once in every 2 million words; the 43,663rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searched	none measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is abdicate?

Abdicate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,663rd most frequent word form in the list.

abdicate0.0010.010.11101001,00010,000

rarerper million words of written Englishmore common

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce abdicate?

UK /ˈæb.dɪˌkeɪt/

Abdicate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-ca-abdicate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of abdicate

abdicates present, singular, he/she/it
abdicating participle, present
abdicated participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does abdicate mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

1
obsoleteTo disclaim and expel from the family, as a father his child; to disown; to disinherit.
2
obsoleteTo formally separate oneself from or to divest oneself of.
3
obsoleteTo depose.
4
obsoleteTo reject; to cast off; to discard.
5
To surrender, renounce or relinquish, as sovereign power; to withdraw definitely from filling or exercising, as a high office, station, dignity; to fail to fulfill responsibility for.
to abdicate the throne, the crown, the papacy
6
To relinquish or renounce a throne, or other high office or dignity; to renounce sovereignty.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Abdicate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

Language	Words
German	ausstoßen (to disclaim and expel from family – see also…), verweigern (to reject, cast off, discard), abdanken (to surrender or relinquish as sovereign power…)
Portuguese	deserdar (to disclaim and expel from family – see also…), abdicar (to reject, cast off, discard)
Spanish	abdicar (to disclaim and expel from family – see also…)
French	abdiquer (to surrender or relinquish as sovereign power…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.