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Abdicate vs Sacrifice - What's the difference?

abdicate | sacrifice |

In transitive terms the difference between abdicate and sacrifice

is that abdicate is to surrender, renounce or relinquish, as sovereign power; to withdraw definitely from filling or exercising, as a high office, station, dignity; as, to abdicate the throne, the crown, the papacy; to fail to fulfill responsibility for while sacrifice is to trade (a value of higher worth) for one of lesser worth in order to gain something else valued more such as an ally or business relationship or to avoid an even greater loss; to sell without profit to gain something other than money.

As verbs the difference between abdicate and sacrifice

is that abdicate is to disclaim and expel from the family, as a father his child; to disown; to disinherit while sacrifice is to offer (something) as a gift to a deity.

As a noun sacrifice is

the offering of anything to a god; consecratory rite.

abdicate

English

Verb

(abdicat)
  • (obsolete) To disclaim and expel from the family, as a father his child; to disown; to disinherit.
  • (transitive, reflexive, obsolete) To formally separate oneself from or to divest oneself of.
  • (obsolete) To depose.
  • (obsolete) To reject; to cast off; to discard.
  • (Bishop Hall)
  • To surrender, renounce or relinquish, as sovereign power; to withdraw definitely from filling or exercising, as a high office, station, dignity; as, to abdicate the throne, the crown, the papacy; to fail to fulfill responsibility for.
  • Note:'' The word ''abdicate was held to mean, in the case of James II, to abandon without a formal surrender.
  • * (rfdate) :
  • The cross-bearers abdicated their service.
  • * (rfdate) :
  • He abdicates all right to be his own governor.
  • * (rfdate) :
  • The understanding abdicates its functions.
  • To relinquish or renounce a throne, or other high office or dignity; to renounce sovereignty.
  • * (rfdate) :
  • Though a king may abdicate' for his own person, he cannot ' abdicate for the monarchy.

    Synonyms

    * give up, relinquish, renounce, quit, vacate, surrender, relent * forsake, abandon, desert, renounce, relent * forsake, give up * (relinquish or renounce a high office or sovereignty) relinquish, renounce, resign, quit, give up, vacate, relent

    Derived terms

    * abdicable * abdicant * abdicator

    References

    * ----

    sacrifice

    Verb

    (sacrific)
  • To offer (something) as a gift to a deity.
  • To give away (something valuable) to get at least a possibility to gain something else of value (such as self-respect, trust, love, freedom, prosperity), or to avoid an even greater loss.
  • * “Don’t you break my heart / ’Cause I sacrifice to make you happy.” - From the song Baby Don’t You Do It by Marvin Gaye
  • * “God sacrificed His only-begotten Son, so that all people might have eternal life.” (a paraphrase of John 3:16).
  • * Prior
  • Condemned to sacrifice his childish years / To babbling ignorance, and to empty fears.
  • * G. Eliot
  • The Baronet had sacrificed a large sum making this boy his heir.
  • To trade (a value of higher worth) for one of lesser worth in order to gain something else valued more such as an ally or business relationship or to avoid an even greater loss; to sell without profit to gain something other than money.
  • * (Ayn Rand), Atlas Shrugged
  • If you exchange a penny for a dollar, it is not a sacrifice ; if you exchange a dollar for a penny, it is.
  • (chess) To intentionally give up (a piece) in order to improve one’s position on the board.
  • (baseball) To advance (a runner on base) by batting the ball so it can be caught or fielded, placing the batter out, but with insufficient time to put the runner out.
  • To sell at a price less than the cost or actual value.
  • To destroy; to kill.
  • (Johnson)

    Synonyms

    * (sell without profit) sell at a loss

    Derived terms

    * sacrificial

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The offering of anything to a god; consecratory rite.
  • * Milton
  • Great pomp, and sacrifice , and praises loud, / To Dagon.
  • Destruction or surrender of anything for the sake of something else; devotion of some desirable object in behalf of a higher object, or to a claim deemed more pressing.
  • the sacrifice of one's spare time in order to volunteer
  • Something sacrificed.
  • * Milton
  • Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood / Of human sacrifice .
  • (baseball) A play in which the batter is intentionally out in order that runners can advance around the bases.
  • A loss of profit.
  • (slang, dated) A sale at a price less than the cost or the actual value.