as in rejected
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1
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant
the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews
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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
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Recent Examples of refused
Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
But the reserves refused to cooperate with that notion.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
Sarnecki has so far refused to provide information about the nature of his relationship with the couple or which campaign events they were involved with.
—Matthew Kelly
may 1, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026
But Sessions testified that Exxon’s lawyers refused to negotiate directly with senior Venezuelan officials to resolve their legal dispute, which was going through arbitration in the International Court of Justice.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Ball’s team refused to hand any of it over.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026
As news was first breaking of Paul and Mortensen's ongoing legal battle, the fifth season of Mormon Wives temporarily halted production in March after several cast members refused to work with Paul, sources told PEOPLE at the time.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
Altman’s rivalry with Musk is one among several in Silicon Valley; the OpenAI boss famously refused to hold hands with his Anthropic counterpart at a recent AI event in India.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
During the last art Biennale, Israel’s participating artist Ruth Patir refused to open the show at the national Pavilion, saying the doors would remain shut until a hostage agreement and ceasefire deal in Gaza were reached.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
But the reserves refused to cooperate with that notion.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
Sarnecki has so far refused to provide information about the nature of his relationship with the couple or which campaign events they were involved with.
—Matthew Kelly
may 1, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026
But Sessions testified that Exxon’s lawyers refused to negotiate directly with senior Venezuelan officials to resolve their legal dispute, which was going through arbitration in the International Court of Justice.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Ball’s team refused to hand any of it over.
—Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026
As news was first breaking of Paul and Mortensen's ongoing legal battle, the fifth season of Mormon Wives temporarily halted production in March after several cast members refused to work with Paul, sources told PEOPLE at the time.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
Altman’s rivalry with Musk is one among several in Silicon Valley; the OpenAI boss famously refused to hold hands with his Anthropic counterpart at a recent AI event in India.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refused
Verb
-
But the country’s leader, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has denied Cuba has political prisoners and has stressed that his government is not negotiating any internal political matters with the United States.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Beyoncé's publicist has denied rumors that the singer's next album will be released the week of the Met Gala.—
Caché McClay,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At one point, Iran asked to move its games to Mexico, but that request was rejected.—
Anne M. Peterson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Voters in a 1986 retention election rejected Rose Bird, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, and two liberal colleagues, over dissatisfaction with decisions overturning numerous death penalty sentences.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After 16 years of one-party rule, the cost of living has been driven out of reach for working families, and quality of life has declined in too many communities.—
Steve Hilton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Seton Hall did more with less under Shaheen Holloway, but didn’t collect enough strong wins outside of the conference to flip onto the right side of the March Madness bubble and declined any other postseason invitations.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The Colorectal Cancer Alliance's survey shows younger patients' symptoms often go ignored, delaying diagnosis and treatment.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The Other Bennet Sister BritBox, May 6 Hadlow’s continuation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice imagines the fortunes of Mary Bennet, aka the boring (though not entirely ignored) one.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
-
Three other vehicles with human drivers then appeared to illegally pass the stopped bus.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Mar. 2026
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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 6 May. 2026.
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