abdication
part of speech
noun (an abdication, abdications)
meaning for a pupil
1) Abdication is when a king, queen or other ruler gives up the throne of their own free will. tree →
2) (formal) Abdication of a duty or responsibility means failing to do what you should do, as if giving it up. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history lessons, the famous abdication in Britain is that of King Edward VIII in 1936, who gave up the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee; his brother became George VI. Other monarchs have abdicated too, like Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (2013). In formal speech, «an abdication of responsibility» is a strong criticism. Phrases: «the abdication crisis», «abdication of responsibility».
examples
- The abdication of Edward VIII shocked Britain in 1936. tree →
- After the king's abdication, his brother was crowned. tree →
- The queen announced her abdication on television. tree →
- Leaving the little ones alone was an abdication of responsibility. tree →
- The history book has a whole chapter on the abdication crisis. tree →
- Her abdication let her son become king. tree →
- After the voluntary abdication of Oedipus, his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, took possession of the crown and reigned over the city of Thebes. tree →
note
Countable. Verb: abdicate (abdicated, abdicating). Say «ab-di-KAY-shun». A ruler who is forced off the throne is «deposed» or «overthrown»; abdication means they give it up themselves (though sometimes under pressure).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «abdication» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.