He renounced his inheritance rights to pursue his own career.

renounced 是动词 renounce 的过去式形式。renounce 由前缀 re-（表示"反向、反对"）和动词 nounce（源自拉丁语 nuntiare，意为"宣布"）组成，字面意思是"反向宣布"，引申为"正式声明放弃、拒绝承认"。 在句中表示他正式声明放弃继承权这一行为。