# abdication

/ˌæbdɪˈkeɪʃən/ (US) · /ˌæbdɪkˈeɪʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/abdication
Updated: 2026-05-01

## Senses

### 1. giving up a throne

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

when a king or queen officially gives up their power and position.

For teachers: the formal renunciation of sovereign power or high office by a monarch or leader.

- The king's abdication shocked the country and changed the royal family forever.
- The sudden abdication of the emperor created a constitutional crisis that the interim government struggled to resolve within the legal framework.

Usage: Often used with the preposition 'of' followed by the title or power being surrendered.

### 2. failure of duty

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

the failure to do what you are responsible for doing.

For teachers: the failure to fulfil a duty or responsibility; a metaphorical extension of the political sense.

- Leaving the children home alone was a complete abdication of his responsibility as a parent.
- Critics argued that the board's refusal to address the scandal was a total abdication of their ethical obligations to the shareholders.

Usage: Commonly appears in the phrase 'abdication of responsibility'.

### 3. disowning a child

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Formal

the act of legally refusing to recognize a child as your own.

For teachers: the act of disowning or disinheriting a child; a historical legal application of the term.

- In the old story, the father's abdication of his son left the boy with nothing.
- The legal records from the seventeenth century detail the father's formal abdication of his eldest son following a public dispute over the family estate.

Teaching tip: This sense is archaic; modern speakers prefer 'disown' or 'disinherit' for this specific family context.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.