to revoke / deny
Loading your saved state.
to revoke
To officially take away a title, right, or award from someone by decision. This is usually done by an authority, a court, or an organization.
Dem Sportler wurde die Goldmedaille wegen Dopings aberkannt.
The athlete was stripped of the gold medal because of doping.
'Aberkennen' (to revoke / deny) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ab-' appears at the end in main clauses. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu,' the verb stays together.
Das Gericht erkannte ihm den Titel ab.
The court revoked his title.
This verb requires a fixed sentence structure: the person from whom something is taken away is in the dative. The thing being withdrawn is in the accusative.
Man hat dem Fahrer (Dativ) den Führerschein (Akkusativ) aberkannt.
They revoked the driver's (dative) license (accusative).
The verb consists of the prefix 'ab-' (away, off) and 'erkennen' (in the sense of acknowledging). So the meaning is to take an acknowledgment (a title, a right) away from someone.
Wegen des Skandals wurde ihm die Ehrenbürgerschaft aberkannt.
Because of the scandal, his honorary citizenship was revoked.
In this official meaning, titles, rights, or awards are often revoked. Typical objects are: 'die Staatsbürgerschaft' (citizenship), 'ein Doktortitel' (a doctoral title), 'eine Medaille' (a medal), or 'ein Recht' (a right).
Der Universität wurde das Recht aberkannt, Prüfungen abzunehmen.
The university's right to administer exams was revoked.
In this meaning, the verb is almost always negated in order to express the opposite. 'Man kann ihm seinen Mut nicht aberkennen' means in effect: 'One must acknowledge that he is brave.'
Ihren Einsatz für das Projekt kann man ihr wirklich nicht aberkennen.
You really can't deny her commitment to the project.
to recognize / acknowledge
'anerkennen' and 'aberkennen' sound very similar, but they often mean the opposite. 'anerkennen' means to accept something as valid or to acknowledge the value of an achievement. 'aberkennen' means to officially take something away from someone, for example a title or a right. It can also mean that you deny someone a quality or ability. The words are easy to confuse because just one small prefix changes the meaning strongly. In practical terms: 'anerkennen' gives confirmation, while 'aberkennen' takes something away or denies it.
Nach dem Betrug wurde dem Sportler die Medaille aberkannt.
After the fraud, the athlete was stripped of the medal.
Die Universität erkennt den ausländischen Abschluss offiziell an.
The university officially recognizes the foreign degree.