as in to refuse
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
fiercely independent, the elderly couple spurned all offers of financial help
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in refusal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spurn
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
The New York Knicks’ president, a stout, taciturn man, surly about the mouth, who spurns engagement with the media but whose competence no contemporary Knicks follower can gainsay, stands in a crowd, surrounded by cheering fans.
—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
It’s now widely sold online, often marketed as a natural substance, produced by the human body, that has been spurned by pharmaceutical companies but discovered by medical outsiders.
—
Sara Talpos — Undark,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Salome, spurned by Jokanaan’s rejection, agrees.
—
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spurn
Verb
But when a suspicious blaze kills their mom and dad, Guinevere carries on the legacy Ennis spurns, until the past erupts into the present, revealing terrifying truths about who their parents really were.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
The New York Knicks’ president, a stout, taciturn man, surly about the mouth, who spurns engagement with the media but whose competence no contemporary Knicks follower can gainsay, stands in a crowd, surrounded by cheering fans.
—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
It’s now widely sold online, often marketed as a natural substance, produced by the human body, that has been spurned by pharmaceutical companies but discovered by medical outsiders.
—
Sara Talpos — Undark,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Salome, spurned by Jokanaan’s rejection, agrees.
—
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spurn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurn
Verb
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While prosecution witnesses have refused to delineate between the Lachman and Palisades blazes, Haney has repeatedly described them as two distinct incidents that ignited days apart.
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After a May debate, Smullen refused to shake his opponent's hand.
Noun
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Wilson was devastated by losing debates about the design of Congress and the presidency, and in particular by the convention’s refusal to acknowledge the centrality of regular people to the government.
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Roosevelt’s refusal settled, for a century, that in America only the people are sovereign.
Verb
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Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez rejected those motions.
-
Goldman has drawn criticism for refusing to reject support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group.
Noun
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Despite the Reina Sofía’s many refusals to lend the work to various institutions around the world, its rebuff of the Guggenheim’s request carries a particular sting because the Basque Country has long held that the painting belongs in the place where the depicted tragedy occurred.
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The latest rebuff of state overreach was the dismissal last week of the highly questionable felony case against respected Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly brought by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Verb
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With only a week of freedom under his belt, Cribbs said Powell is declining interviews for now, reentering the world with some trepidation.
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The Padres declined comment for this column.
Noun
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After an often shaky start to his tenure leading the USMNT, the performance against Paraguay was a complete repudiation of his critics and validation of his tactics and managerial style.
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His is a playground repertoire, a rolling repudiation of the safe option.
Noun
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Larger than life, his creation repulses and torments him, and Victor spends the rest of his life both running from it and trying to destroy it.
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The optical, stop-motion, and puppetry effects alone should make Brain Damage a priority on your watchlist, but Henenlotter’s film excites and repulses on a deeper level.
Cite this Entry
“Spurn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurn. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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