Vocabulary Flashcards: Formal Retraction, Relinquish, and Related Terms

recant

To make a formal retraction or disavowal of.

abdicate

To relinquish formally.

diminish

To make smaller or less.

abound

To be great in number or amount.

invalid

Being without force in fact, truth, or law.

ambivalence

Existence of conflicting ideas.

recoup

To receive an equivalent for; make up for.

abnegate

To deny to oneself; renounce.

infinitesimal

Immeasurably tiny.

amplitude

Greatness of size; magnitude.

invaluable

Of inestimable use or help.

avail

Use, benefit, or advantage.

renunciation

The act of giving something up.

absolve

To pronounce clear of blame or guilt.

modicum

A small amount or quantity.

augment

To make greater, as in size or quantity.

prevail

To be greater in strength or influence.

equivalent

Equal in quantity, meaning, or value.

rescind

To make void; repeal or annul.

catharsis

A purifying cleansing or release of tension.

prodigious

Impressively great in size or extent.

brevity

Briefness of duration.

valedictory

Bidding farewell.

evaluation

Act of judging the worth of.

waive

To relinquish or give up voluntarily.

countermand

To cancel or reverse.

quota

A proportional share assigned to a group.

commensurate

Of the same size, extent, or duration.

vanquish

To defeat in a battle or competition.

evince

To show or exhibit, as an emotion.

ostracize

To banish or exclude from a group.

supple

Readily flexible.

implicit

Implied or understood though not directly expressed.