BLACKBALLING Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

blackballing

verb

present participle of blackball

as in dismissing

to reject by or as if by a vote he was disappointed to learn that he had been blackballed by the fraternity

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of blackballing Social media rumors swirled that the league was blackballing her because of her activism. — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 4 May 2026 Last week, Google made sweepstakes ineligible for advertising certification, effectively blackballing them. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 10 Nov. 2025 In the past, the Young Money rapper has accused Roc Nation of blackballing her and also owing her $200 million. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackballing

Verb

Exxon was far from alone in its historical awareness of CO₂ and rigorous research into its ongoing ecological impacts—and in its subsequent shift toward dismissing or denying the veracity of its own science.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Developer Senko Rasic argued in post that went viral - that dismissing coding as never having been the hard part insults programmers.

— Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismissing

Verb

Colombia has begun receiving international aid and rescuers after initially refusing some offers in the crucial hours following Monday’s devastating earthquake.

— Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
They have been used to subdue violent suspects who are refusing to get into squad cars and inmates who are harming themselves and threatening officers, according to Compliant Technologies.

— CBS News, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of refusing

Verb

Ukraine launched hundreds of drones across Russia Sunday, killing at least six people in one of Kyiv’s largest aerial attacks of the war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
Thompson’s killing outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel ignited a multistate manhunt that ended five days later, when police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, arrested Mangione in a McDonald’s.

— Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of killing

Verb

But even if the bill passes both chambers, the White House earlier said that the President’s advisers would recommend vetoing it.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 27 July 2026
But vetoing the bill could have been politically damaging for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, with the rising cost of living and housing on the top of voters' minds.

— Joey Garrison, USA Today, 11 July 2026

Definition of vetoing

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blackballed

blackballing

blackballs

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“Blackballing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackballing. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of blackballing

verb

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