as in rejection
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
his flat refusal of our reasonable request was rather startling
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Recent Examples of refusal
While no one mentions a diagnosis out loud, Linda’s daughter appears to be suffering from ARFID, and her refusal to eat has been persistent enough to require a stomach tube and nightly infusions of nutrients by way of a feeding pump.
—
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Israel blamed Hamas for the resumption of hostilities, citing the militant group’s refusal to meet Israel’s demand to release more hostages.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025
But Mamdani and his earliest allies, having watched Joe Biden and Kamala Harris lose support over their refusal to oppose the Netanyahu government’s destruction of Gaza, were confident that his position on the war would be a strength.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
The company already agreed to cancel $164 million in federal funding earlier this year, and was recently entangled in litigation over alleged refusal to pay contractors.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Israel blamed Hamas for the resumption of hostilities, citing the militant group’s refusal to meet Israel’s demand to release more hostages.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025
But Mamdani and his earliest allies, having watched Joe Biden and Kamala Harris lose support over their refusal to oppose the Netanyahu government’s destruction of Gaza, were confident that his position on the war would be a strength.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
The company already agreed to cancel $164 million in federal funding earlier this year, and was recently entangled in litigation over alleged refusal to pay contractors.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refusal
Noun
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One day, doctors could produce blood fully compatible with a patient’s body, avoiding rejection risks.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
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Other university leaders are saying MIT's rejection of the deal opens the door for other institutions to make the same choice, rather than agree to deals like some of the Ivies have.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The family did not challenge the denial in court.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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Back in September, the Chinese government enacted a law that allows for the imposition of retaliatory fees or port access denials for vessels from countries that take discriminatory actions against Chinese vessels or carriers.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refusal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusal. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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