as in rejected
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant
the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Example Sentences
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 refused
Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The Nuggets refused to engage, declining to respond on the off day.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Three Bruins formed a wall and refused to let the shot get through.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The incident began after the girl refused to give her attacker her phone number, the New York Post reported, citing unidentified sources.
—Alex Nitzberg , Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
At City Hall, Witzburg's team pressed Mayor Brandon Johnson to fire a top advisor for failing to cooperate with a misconduct probe – which the mayor refused to do – and urged him to make public a gift room her investigators were denied access to, which Johnson agreed to do.
—Chris Tye, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
States that refused to negotiate or did not meet the obligations of the agreements are often branded as pirates and accused of supporting counterfeiting and theft.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
No criminal charges were filed because the main accuser refused to testify in criminal court.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
Several other states provided the data, but refused those agreements, as part of a wide-ranging effort by the Justice Department to obtain detailed voter data from every state.
—Becky Bohrer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Meanwhile, Larysa was stuck in Belarus, a country allied with Russia that Nataliia despised and had refused to move to, despite her daughter’s many pleas.
—Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The Nuggets refused to engage, declining to respond on the off day.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Three Bruins formed a wall and refused to let the shot get through.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The incident began after the girl refused to give her attacker her phone number, the New York Post reported, citing unidentified sources.
—Alex Nitzberg , Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
At City Hall, Witzburg's team pressed Mayor Brandon Johnson to fire a top advisor for failing to cooperate with a misconduct probe – which the mayor refused to do – and urged him to make public a gift room her investigators were denied access to, which Johnson agreed to do.
—Chris Tye, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
States that refused to negotiate or did not meet the obligations of the agreements are often branded as pirates and accused of supporting counterfeiting and theft.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
No criminal charges were filed because the main accuser refused to testify in criminal court.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
Several other states provided the data, but refused those agreements, as part of a wide-ranging effort by the Justice Department to obtain detailed voter data from every state.
—Becky Bohrer The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refused
Verb
-
The same City who denied Arsenal title glory in 2023 and 2024.—
Nnamdi Onyeagwara,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Jordan was then interviewed by a private investigator hired by Jackson’s attorneys, and denied being molested by the singer.—
Amelia McDonell-Parry,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors said Maya’s ballot was counted in the recall election, but rejected the following year.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The shareholders, however, rejected WBD CEO David Zaslav‘s lucrative compensation package, sending a message to its board in the process.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In an email, Gardner declined to comment on the specifics of the situation.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The prosecutor declined to comment further to AP pending further investigation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Students argue that their desires were ignored when the board moved the upcoming Laguna Beach High graduation ceremony back to the smaller Irvine Bowl after several years of being held in the campus stadium.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The repricing reflects a structural vulnerability that can no longer be ignored.—
Tenzin Seldon,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Leaving Polis off the guest list of a recent governors’ dinner at the White House was the latest slap in the face of many that include rescinded federal grants, a vetoed water bill, rejected disaster fund requests, and the loss of two federal agencies.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Three other vehicles with human drivers then appeared to illegally pass the stopped bus.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The truck crossed into the eastbound lane and crashed into the stopped Kia, striking the three pedestrians, CHP said.—
Aidin Vaziri,
San Francisco Chronicle,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refused. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
