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
What separates Trump from many of his predecessors is not an appetite for war, but a refusal to tolerate endless gray zones.
—
Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Hilton apologized and said the refusal violated its policies.
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
Trump has also vowed retribution against Colorado for its refusal to release Tina Peters, a former county clerk who last year was convicted of crimes related to tampering with voting machines.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2026
Whether that spinner will be Shoaib Bashir remains to be seen, but England’s refusal to pick him in Australia is an admission of failure of one of their Ashes projects — as were the modest returns of Crawley and the omission after Adelaide of Ollie Pope.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Hilton apologized and said the refusal violated its policies.
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
Trump has also vowed retribution against Colorado for its refusal to release Tina Peters, a former county clerk who last year was convicted of crimes related to tampering with voting machines.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2026
Whether that spinner will be Shoaib Bashir remains to be seen, but England’s refusal to pick him in Australia is an admission of failure of one of their Ashes projects — as were the modest returns of Crawley and the omission after Adelaide of Ollie Pope.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refusal
Noun
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The move marks a clear departure from Washington’s earlier stance, which presumed rejection of nearly all such requests.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
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Despite this rejection, the board moved forward with plans to take on $2 million in new debt and to allow for more than 500 members to generate more revenue.—
Chase Jordan
January 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In recent years, Olathe’s seen more projects move forward that could help address the missing middle housing gap, including a City Council approval on Tuesday to build 71 townhome units, despite the Planning Commission recommending denial, Olathe spokesperson Kennedy said.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
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The president cited the denial of the students’ constitutional rights in federalizing the Arkansas National Guard.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refusal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusal. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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