Word
resignation
Phoneticsres·ig·na·tion, stress on the third syllable
US/ˌɹɛzəɡˈneɪʃən/
UK/ɹɪzɪɡnˈeɪʃən/
Definitions
01leaving a job
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the act of officially telling your employer that you are leaving your job.
n. the formal act of giving up or quitting a position, office, or employment.
“The manager handed in his resignation after finding a better job in another city.”
“Following the scandal, the board of directors demanded the immediate resignation of the chief executive to restore public confidence in the firm.”
Usage
Often used with the verbs 'hand in', 'tender', or 'submit'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02a formal letter
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a formal letter or document that says you are leaving your job.
n. a written or oral notification stating that one is resigning from a post.
“She spent the afternoon writing her letter of resignation.”
“The official's resignation was brief and professional, offering no specific reasons for his sudden departure from the ministry.”
Synonyms
03accepting the inevitable
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Formal
n. the feeling that you must accept something difficult or sad because you cannot change it.
n. a state of quiet, uncomplaining endurance or submission to an unpleasant but unavoidable situation.
“He sighed with resignation when he saw the long line at the airport.”
“There was a sense of weary resignation in her voice as she acknowledged that the project would never receive the necessary funding.”
Teaching tip
This sense describes a psychological state; it is often paired with verbs like 'sigh' or 'shrug'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
04legal land return
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Law Archaic · Technical
n. an old legal way of returning land to a superior person in the past.
n. the formal act by which a vassal returns a land holding into the hands of a superior.
“The ancient document recorded the resignation of the lands to the crown.”
“The historian examined the records of resignation to understand how land ownership shifted during the feudal period.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “resignation” in context.
Verb
01. accept the resignation
“The committee met briefly this morning to formally accept the resignation of the treasurer.”
verb + noun
02. sigh with resignation
“She sighed with resignation when she realized the flight had been delayed for a third time.”
verb + prep + noun
03. tender your resignation
“The CEO decided to tender his resignation following the board's vote of no confidence.”
verb + possessive + noun
Adjective
04. abrupt resignation
“The market reacted poorly to the abrupt resignation of the finance minister.”
adj + noun
05. quiet resignation
“There was a sense of quiet resignation in the room as the team realized the project would be canceled.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. letter of resignation
“He spent the afternoon drafting a formal letter of resignation to his supervisor.”
noun + of + noun
07. resignation speech
“The politician's resignation speech was broadcast live on all major news channels.”
noun + noun
Preposition
08. in resignation
“He shrugged his shoulders in resignation, knowing there was nothing more he could do.”
prep + noun
09. resignation last
Real-World Examples
“Chandrasekaran's resignation, which comes days ahead of Tata Sons' annual general meeting, points to tensions that have been playing out for months after a boardroom power battle erupted between trustees.” “He did not write a letter of resignation from Labour, claiming that in order to do so he would have had to write a short novel.” “Marlaska, who already went to Ceuta hours after the outbreak of the crisis along with the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has returned to the autonomous city amid whistles, boos and shouts of "Government resignation".” “Jason Arday’s resignation from the University of Cambridge on Wednesday marked a full stop of sorts, but not an end to the furore surrounding his promotion to a professorship at the age of 37.” Etymology
From Middle English resignacion, resignacioun, from Old French resignation, from Medieval Latin resignātiōnem, accusative of resignātio. Equivalent to resign + -ation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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