as in rejection
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
his flat refusal of our reasonable request was rather startling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 refusal
In retrospect, the captain’s refusal to accept a roughly 50% cut in annual salary had disrupted the team’s planned makeover, but BriseBois had improvised and come up with an even stronger plan.
—
John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2025
Incensed at not being offered first refusal on selling Scouts, VW and Audi dealers are demanding VW backtrack and award them the rights to sell those trucks and SUVs.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025
The equivocation that has characterized the administration’s legal responses to date is turning into objection and refusal.
—Henry Gass, Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2025
But Han himself was impeached just two weeks later over his refusal to fill a vacant seat in one of the country’s top courts and was only reinstated to the role in late March.
—Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refusal
John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2025
Incensed at not being offered first refusal on selling Scouts, VW and Audi dealers are demanding VW backtrack and award them the rights to sell those trucks and SUVs.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025
The equivocation that has characterized the administration’s legal responses to date is turning into objection and refusal.
—Henry Gass, Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr. 2025
But Han himself was impeached just two weeks later over his refusal to fill a vacant seat in one of the country’s top courts and was only reinstated to the role in late March.
—Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refusal
Noun
-
Account hopes to combat misogynistic online content Creators like Andrew Tate provide a pipeline for men seeking advice about romantic rejection, physical self-esteem and economic insecurity to fall into radicalism and misogyny.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Cronenberg’s rejection of the notion was just one of the first surprising musings from a discussion with Variety about his approach to art, including his consideration of the audience, embrace of technology and rejection of genre.—
William Earl,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Planning staff recommended denial of the permit for the drive-thru, which would sit within 300 feet of another drive-thru to its north and the Bainbridge subdivision to its west on Lost Rapids Drive.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Often the oddity comes from the chilling drone of bureaucracy: the executor’s compassionate thicket of legal reasoning, an airline representative’s denial of Carrie’s quest for a bereavement discount, the dollars and cents of Dr. J’s cremation (for which Carrie is retroactively billed).—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refusal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusal. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share