What does renegation mean?
Renegation means the deliberate withdrawal from, or repudiation of, an agreement, promise, contract, or other commitment. It describes not a change to the terms of an arrangement, but the act of ceasing to honor it or refusing to be bound by it. The word has a strongly formal and somewhat legal tone and is much less common than breach, cancellation, or withdrawal in ordinary discussion. It can apply broadly to contractual disputes, broken public promises, and abandoned commitments, although legal discussions commonly favor repudiation or breach. Renegation should not be confused with renegotiation, which means negotiating to alter the terms of an existing agreement while continuing to observe it. Although seldom needed in everyday speech, renegation is useful when the precise issue is not that terms need changing, but that the parties are withdrawing from the arrangement altogether.
nounThe act of repudiating or withdrawing from an agreement, promise, or commitment. The term is chiefly formal or legal and is uncommon in modern English.
- The act of repudiating an agreement, promise, contract, or other commitment, especially by deliberately failing to honor it.
"The tenant's renegation of the lease led to a prolonged dispute."
"Their renegation of the agreement left the other party with no means of enforcement."
"The speech condemned the government's renegation of its earlier commitments."
The plural is grammatically regular but rarely needed because the word itself is uncommon.
"The repeated renegations of the agreement brought the negotiations to an end."
Renegation is the rare noun for backing out; renegotiation is the common noun for changing the terms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does renegation come from?
Renegation entered English from French renégation, which was derived from Latin renegātiō. The Latin word came from renegāre, meaning “to deny” or “refuse,” formed from the prefix re- and negāre, “to say no” or “deny.” Related English words include renege and renegade, while negate and deny ultimately share the same Latin root.
How renegation is actually used
This is a rare, formal word. In contemporary usage, breaching, withdrawing from, or repudiating an agreement will usually be clearer.
Easily confused with renegation
Renegation means withdrawing from or repudiating an agreement, whereas renegotiation means trying to change its terms while continuing to observe it.