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
The refusal is part of the American government's unanimous, bipartisan protest of the agency's handling of a case involving Chinese swimmers and other issues.
—
ABC News, 13 Mar. 2026
Putting each agency up to be funded individually will allow the party to campaign on Republicans declining to do so just as Republicans will frame Democrats’ refusal to fund the entire agency the same way.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026
Three Riverside police officers who sued the department for veteran discrimination now face termination following the city’s refusal to settle, the officers’ attorney has said.
—Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Mayor Michelle Wu is still battling the Krafts after last year’s contentious mayoral race, this time by unequivocally backing the town of Foxboro’s refusal to budge from its security funding demands holding up Boston’s World Cup permitting.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for refusal
ABC News, 13 Mar. 2026
Putting each agency up to be funded individually will allow the party to campaign on Republicans declining to do so just as Republicans will frame Democrats’ refusal to fund the entire agency the same way.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026
Three Riverside police officers who sued the department for veteran discrimination now face termination following the city’s refusal to settle, the officers’ attorney has said.
—Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Mayor Michelle Wu is still battling the Krafts after last year’s contentious mayoral race, this time by unequivocally backing the town of Foxboro’s refusal to budge from its security funding demands holding up Boston’s World Cup permitting.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refusal
Noun
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In the story, a fictional scientist, Dobb, studies personoid theology and is fascinated by their struggles to understand the nature of their creator, leading to their eventual rejection of Dobb as a deity.—
Dimitris Tsementzis,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
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Gnecco said getting rejections from potential partners and having a business concept that everyone may not understand doesn’t make life as a company executive easy.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Eighteen Nebraska athletes pursuing arbitration against the College Sports Commission over the denial of NIL deals are being represented by law firm Husch Blackwell through a joint representation arrangement with their university.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
14 Mar. 2026
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Swayman was forced to make several good saves, the best of which was his denial of Timothy Liljegren’s one-timer from the middle of the slot.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refusal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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