The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
v. To give up (rights or a claim, for example); renounce.
v. To deny (something) to oneself: The minister abnegated the luxuries of life.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
v. To deny and reject; to abjure.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
To deny (anything) to one's self; renounce; give up or surrender.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
v. deny oneself (something); restrain, especially from indulging in some pleasure
v. deny or renounce
v. surrender (power or a position)
Word Usage
"As we call on science to explain, elaborate, and justify issues in civil and personal life, we need to be careful that we don't abnegate our responsibility to monitor the effects of this intervention."