as in rejection
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
his flat refusal of our reasonable request was rather startling
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Recent Examples of refusal
Despite constantly criticizing the Probation Department’s handling of the halls, all five members of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors supported Viera Rosa’s refusal to close Los Padrinos last year.
—
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
In a recent Times/Siena poll, some of Mr. Trump’s supporters said his refusal to follow norms is part of his appeal.
—Natalie Proulx, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Such travelers should expect delays and possible refusal altogether.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Social media has been littered with posts praising Angela’s quiet confidence, her read-between-the-lines approach, her general refusal to sweat the small stuff.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refusal
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
In a recent Times/Siena poll, some of Mr. Trump’s supporters said his refusal to follow norms is part of his appeal.
—Natalie Proulx, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Such travelers should expect delays and possible refusal altogether.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Social media has been littered with posts praising Angela’s quiet confidence, her read-between-the-lines approach, her general refusal to sweat the small stuff.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refusal
Noun
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Largely unknown, with few public remarks, Souter was considered a politically palatable choice as the contentious Senate rejection of Reagan nominee Robert Bork three years earlier still rattled Washington.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
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Out of the 60,000 babies born in New Zealand last year, there were 71 rejections, according to an Official Information Act inquiry.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
10 May 2025
Noun
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From Denial to Delay: The PR Playbook The UCS report also outlines how corporate PR strategies evolved over time—from denial to delay.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
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That revenue is simply written off because appealing denials is too slow, expensive, and broken to fix manually.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refusal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusal. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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