disown

3 synonyms and 4 antonyms for disown, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — To refuse to acknowledge someone, especially a family member, as belonging to you anymore.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

renounce

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

repudiate disinherit

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

To refuse to acknowledge someone, especially a family member, as belonging to you anymore.

“His parents threatened to disown him if he dropped out of school.”

renounce repudiate disinherit

Opposites

adopt own acknowledge

2. verb

To deny any connection with or responsibility for something.

“The company quickly disowned the rogue employee's comments.”

Opposites

recognize

How to use disown

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

disown a child publicly disown

Etymology

From dis- + own, literally meaning "to stop claiming as one's own."

Full origin of disown →

Frequently asked questions

What does “disown” mean?

The word “disown” means to refuse to acknowledge someone, especially a family member, as belonging to you anymore. In plain terms, to cut ties with someone or something and refuse to claim them as yours anymore.

How do you pronounce “disown”?

“Disown” is pronounced dihs-OHN (/dɪsˈoʊn/ in IPA).

How do you use “disown” in a sentence?

Here is “disown” used in a sentence: “His parents threatened to disown him if he dropped out of school.”

What part of speech is “disown”?

“Disown” is a verb.

How many meanings does “disown” have?

“Disown” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to refuse to acknowledge someone, especially a family member, as belonging to you anymore.

People also searched

own recognize adopt acknowledge renounce repudiate disinherit

Nearby words

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