disavow

/dɪsəˈvaʊ/

to deny any responsibility or association with

The politician disavowed the controversial remarks made by his advisor.

The politician publicly denied any connection to or responsibility for the advisor's remarks.

formal

to deny any responsibility for, connection with, or knowledge of someone or something

The company disavowed the actions of its former CEO after the scandal.

The company publicly denied any association with or approval of the former CEO's actions.

She disavowed her earlier statements, claiming they were taken out of context.

She denied that her previous statements accurately reflected her views.

Often used in formal or political contexts to distance oneself from controversial actions or statements.

Collocations

disavow responsibilityto deny any obligation or dutydisavow knowledgeto claim ignorance of somethingdisavow any connectionto deny any association

Use 'disavow' in formal contexts, such as politics or legal settings, to clearly distance oneself from something.

'Disavow' implies a public or formal denial, often used in official statements or press releases.

From Middle English 'disavowen', from Old French 'desavewer', from 'des-' (dis-) + 'avewer' (to avow).

Often used in formal or political contexts to distance oneself from controversial actions or statements.

dis-

apart, away

prefix

-avow

to declare openly

root

English Dictionary