repudiate

/ɹɪˈpjuː.di.eɪt/

//ɹɪˈpjuː.di.eɪt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"repudiate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“repudiate” is uncommon English (frequency #56,403 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,403
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To reject the truth or validity of; to deny.

Corpus desk

Index EN-repudiate · repudiate · English

repudiate · rank #56,403 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,403
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reprinting

Nearest frequency peer: reprinting (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “repudiate”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “repudiate” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for repudiate
PropertyValue
Headwordrepudiate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈpjuː.di.eɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#56,403
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “repudiate” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). repudiate lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

repudiate is uncommon English at frequency #56,403 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹɪˈpjuː.di.eɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for repudiate in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1543; from Latin repudiātus, the perfect passive participle of repudiō (“to cast off, reject”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), from repudium (“rejection, repudiation, divorce”). The correct English form is repudiate, spelled R-E-P-U-D-I-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To reject the truth or validity of; to deny.
  2. 2
    To refuse to have any relation to; to disown.
  3. 3
    To refuse to pay or honor (a debt).
  4. 4
    To be repudiated.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how repudiate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The fierce willingness to repudiate domination in a holistic manner is the starting point for progressive cultural revolution.
  2. It was not enough just to shoot the Old Bolsheviks; Stalin had to have the show trials. He had to demonstrate publicly that these men of enormous energy and spirit were so utterly broken as to openly repudiate themselves and all they had fought for.

Etymology

First attested in 1543; from Latin repudiātus, the perfect passive participle of repudiō (“to cast off, reject”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), from repudium (“rejection, repudiation, divorce”).

Synonyms

abjuredenydisavowdisclaimdisownforsayforswearrenouncerepudiatewash one's hands of

Antonyms

acceptown up

This word in other languages

repudiar(Español)répudier(Français)verleugnen(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "repudiate"?
"repudiate" is spelled R-E-P-U-D-I-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈpjuː.di.eɪt/.
What does "repudiate" mean?
As a verb, "repudiate" means: To reject the truth or validity of; to deny.
How do you pronounce "repudiate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "repudiate" is /ɹɪˈpjuː.di.eɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "repudiate"?
First attested in 1543; from Latin repudiātus, the perfect passive participle of repudiō (“to cast off, reject”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3)), from repudium (“rejection, repudiation, divorce”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "repudiate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

quietness#56,389quartzite#56,388protestor#56,383shamanism#56,429

What to do next

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Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list