小词详解 | renounce

renounce 英 [rɪˈnaʊns] 美 [rɪˈnaʊns]

TOEFL SAT TEM8 GRE

外刊例句

• Last year he renounced his American citizenship.
  去年他放弃了美国国籍。
  ——《经济学人》

• Calls for the Supreme Court to renounce the ruling started almost immediately after it was issued, and have persisted for 70 years.
  要求最高法院撤销判决的呼吁几乎在判决作出之后就立即开始了，已经坚持了70年。
  ——《纽约时报》

基本释义

[verb] formally declare one's abandonment of (a claim, right, or possession)
[动词] 正式宣布放弃（某个主张、权利或所有权）

深入解读

Renounce 一词源自拉丁语 renuntiare （宣布、抗议、放弃），14世纪末经古法语 renoncier （放弃，对应现代法语 renoncer ）进入英语，与小站两周前讲过的 enunciate 同词根 nounc, nunci （讲、说），现主要表示“声明放弃、宣布放弃”，强调正式声明自己不再保留某项头衔、官阶、国籍、要求、特权、权利等，或为了某个更高的道德目的而摒弃理想、原则、信仰等，比如：

• 她那混账的前夫终于宣布放弃对家里房子的所有权要求。
  Her bastard ex-husband finally renounced his claim to the family house.

• 甘地声明放弃使用暴力，并且从未背离过这一思想路线。
  Gandhi renounced the use of violence and he had never deviated from that ideological path.

当这个概念用在感情或关系上时，则是指“宣布断绝与……的关系”，比如：

• 他已经宣布与过去的伙伴拆伙。那是个他想要保持竞争力就不得不做出的严峻选择。
  He had renounced his former associates. That was a stark choice he had to make if he wanted to stay competitive.

• 那个几乎在跟房间里的每一个男人调情的女人已经与家庭脱离了关系。
  That woman who was flirting with just about every man in the room had renounced her own family.

另外值得注意的是， renounce 的名词形式 renunciation 除了表示“声明摒弃、宣布放弃”这个行为过程以外，还可以指因道德或宗教原因“弃绝物质享受、克己、禁欲”，比如：

• 她不能忍受像修女那样克己的苦行生活。
  She can't abide a life of complete renunciation as a nun.

双语名著

He was of an amorous disposition, but declared that, for the last ten years, he had wholly and decidedly renounced women.
他还有兴致自诩多情，但他又常说，十年以来，已干脆彻底放弃女人了。

出自法国作家维克多·雨果的长篇小说《悲惨世界》（Les Misérables，原意为“悲惨的人们”“可怜的人们”）。该小说是19世纪最著名的小说之一，故事的主线围绕主人公土伦苦刑犯冉·阿让（Jean Valjean）的个人经历，融进了法国的历史、革命、战争、道德哲学、法律、正义、宗教信仰等，多次被改编演绎成影视作品。

同近义词

• repudiate: refuse to accept or be associated with

• relinquish: voluntarily cease to keep or claim; give up

• abdicate: fail to fulfill or undertake (a responsibility or duty)

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