1
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant
the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in declined
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
she refused the award, citing the hard work of others who deserved the recognition more than she did
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rejected
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refused
Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2025
In southern Gaza, a group opposed to Hamas known as the Popular Forces has refused to lay down its arms.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Furthermore, Spurs’ chairman at the time Daniel Levy refused to rule out a groundshare with Arsenal when both were planning to build new grounds.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Democrats in Congress have demanded extending health care subsidies in any funding bill to reopen the government, while Republicans have refused to consider that until the shutdown ends.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
At one point, the satirical news site The Onion tried to purchase InfoWars at a bankruptcy auction, but the court refused to approve the sale.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Israel views him and some others as terrorist masterminds who murdered Israeli civilians and has refused to release them in past exchanges.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
When Hamilton refused him legal help, Reynolds told all who would listen that the Treasury secretary had masterminded his financial chicanery.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
The pilot was able to get himself out and was evaluated by crews on the scene, but refused transportation to the hospital, Lee said.
—Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Ares was in development for a decade, but former Disney exec Sean Bailey refused to give up and shepherded the project when serving as head of Disney’s live-action studio.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2025
In southern Gaza, a group opposed to Hamas known as the Popular Forces has refused to lay down its arms.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
Furthermore, Spurs’ chairman at the time Daniel Levy refused to rule out a groundshare with Arsenal when both were planning to build new grounds.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Democrats in Congress have demanded extending health care subsidies in any funding bill to reopen the government, while Republicans have refused to consider that until the shutdown ends.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
At one point, the satirical news site The Onion tried to purchase InfoWars at a bankruptcy auction, but the court refused to approve the sale.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Israel views him and some others as terrorist masterminds who murdered Israeli civilians and has refused to release them in past exchanges.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
When Hamilton refused him legal help, Reynolds told all who would listen that the Treasury secretary had masterminded his financial chicanery.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
The pilot was able to get himself out and was evaluated by crews on the scene, but refused transportation to the hospital, Lee said.
—Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refused
Verb
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Through a lawyer, Minaj denied the claims.—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Wendi and her father Harvey have not been charged with any crime and have denied involvement in the plot.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Comey received a slight boost in his case to plead his innocence earlier this week when a judge rejected federal prosecutors’ effort to impose broad restrictions on the evidence Comey can access ahead of trial.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Oct. 2025
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The news caused Salesforce shares to surge as management rejected Wall Street’s narrative of sluggish revenue growth that’s been weighing on investor sentiment in 2025.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski previously declined to comment on whether King is linked to the alleged harassing phone calls.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
-
After crunching the numbers to exclude armies of data-scraping AI bots, the Wikimedia Foundation says that between March and August this year, the number of Wikipedia page views coming from real humans declined by 8% year-on-year.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The complaint alleges that BNY ignored warning signs, especially after Epstein’s crimes became known.—
Chase Jordan
October 17,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Oct. 2025
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When things get fuzzy about what a child’s needs actually are, or parents feel they are being ignored, OSEP can help parents learn what their options are, and then can even become involved and serve as an arbitrator to figure out the best course of action.—
Joshua Cowen,
The Conversation,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Transparency instead of testing Where the vetoed SB 1047 would have mandated safety testing and kill switches for AI systems, the new law focuses on disclosure.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refused. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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