Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

disavow

/dɪsəˈvaʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.60 in modern English

Syllables: dis-avow
IPA: /dɪsəˈvaʊ/

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To strongly and solemnly refuse to own or acknowledge; to deny responsibility for, approbation of, and the like.

Transitive verb

verb

To deny; to show the contrary of; to deny legitimacy or achievement of any kind.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"He was charged with embezzlement, but he disavows the crime."
"Because of her dissatisfaction, she now disavows the merits of socialism."

Etymology

From dis- + avow, or from Old French desavouer.

Origin

Source language: Old French

Word Breakdown

Prefix: dis
Root: desavouer

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

disavows (present, singular) disavowing (participle, present) disavowed (participle, past) disavowed (past)

Derived Forms

disavowable disavower disavowment

Frequently Paired Words

disavowal disavowed

Synonyms

abjure deny disclaim disown reject disprove impugn repudiate

Antonyms

accept own up prove

Rhymes With

how now allow wow bow thou cow dow mao vow brow howe

Questions

How do you pronounce disavow?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪsəˈvaʊ/.
What does disavow mean?: To strongly and solemnly refuse to own or acknowledge; to deny responsibility for, approbation of, and the like.
Where does disavow come from?: It is traced to Old French.

How to pronounce disavow

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “disavow”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪsəˈvaʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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