as in refusal
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
the university's nonacceptance of my application for admission was accompanied by considerable regret, if you believe the rejection letter
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Recent Examples of nonacceptance
Positions have softened over the years from nonacceptance and refusal to discuss this to a point now where these are agenda items in the negotiations.
—
Seth Borenstein, ajc, 24 Sep. 2022
Throughout the 19th century, Jews rose in business and the professions, becoming physicians and lawyers, even politicians and army officers, only to discover that half-acceptance into Christian society could be more dangerous than nonacceptance.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2017
Seth Borenstein, ajc, 24 Sep. 2022
Throughout the 19th century, Jews rose in business and the professions, becoming physicians and lawyers, even politicians and army officers, only to discover that half-acceptance into Christian society could be more dangerous than nonacceptance.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonacceptance
Noun
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Other African leaders would have terms either too short, broken by coups or assassinations, or too long, extended by a refusal to leave office; Nkrumah’s tenure somehow managed both.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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Given no choice, María Ángeles acquiesces to her daughter’s wishes and moves into the seniors’ home, where a hilarious exchange with a hairdresser wanting to chop off her long silver tresses typifies her iron-willed refusal to settle in.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But those early rejections didn’t destroy their confidence.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025
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This over-enthusiasm can backfire, leading to rejection.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For Avraham Burg, an author and former speaker of Israel’s parliament who has become a prominent critic, what lies behind this state of denial in many Jewish Israelis goes far beyond media influence.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
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After weeks of obfuscation and denial, the Chinese government suddenly shut down the city of Wuhan and surrounding regions to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonacceptance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonacceptance. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
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