Repudiator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who dismisses or renounces an idea or belief
2. A person who casts aside or disclaims a specific claim or association
3. A person who refuses to accept or acknowledge a particular idea, belief, or responsibility

Etymology: "Repudiator" is a plain English formation: the verb "repudiate" with the agent suffix "-or" attached to it, meaning one who performs the act of repudiating. The verb itself came into English from Latin "repudiare," which was built from "re-" (back, away) and "pudere" (to feel shame), so the underlying sense is of pushing something away as shameful. The suffix has a longer path, descending through Latin "-tor" and "-ātor," passing into Old French as "-eor," and reaching Middle English as "-our," before English settled on the spelling "-or." Because the word was made by adding a suffix to a known verb, it has no separate first recorded use worth singling out, and its meaning follows directly from the verb: someone who rejects a claim, belief, or connection by formally disowning it.

Synonyms: rejector, denier, disavower, abjurer, renouncer

Antonyms: acceptor, supporter, advocate, promoter, believer