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
There was a lot of discussion about some of the mistakes that the Harris campaign made regarding her refusal to go on certain podcasts, which speaks to an evolution that has occurred in the conservative media sphere.
—
Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025
Walter has owned a minority share of the Lakers since 2021 and had a right of first refusal to buy the majority share of the franchise, which probably helped bring us all to this point.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 18 June 2025
Maricopa County elections need a practical, workable SSA to ensure efficient, accurate elections; however, the Supervisors' refusal to engage in honest dialogue risks a crisis in our upcoming elections.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
That refusal cost him dearly, resulting in his execution by decapitation.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025
Walter has owned a minority share of the Lakers since 2021 and had a right of first refusal to buy the majority share of the franchise, which probably helped bring us all to this point.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 18 June 2025
Maricopa County elections need a practical, workable SSA to ensure efficient, accurate elections; however, the Supervisors' refusal to engage in honest dialogue risks a crisis in our upcoming elections.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
That refusal cost him dearly, resulting in his execution by decapitation.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refusal
Noun
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Losing a job, or facing creative rejection, is a very real type of grief that doesn’t always get depicted as grief.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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Despite the constant rejection, Van-Der-Sluis seems determined to find the love of his life.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
26 June 2025
Noun
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In addition to excessive force, the complaint claimed denial of medical care, governmental liability, supervisory liability, wrongful death and survival action, and that the actions of the law enforcement officers constituted a violation of the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993.—
Dale Ellis,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2025
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In the wake of the MAGA movement’s dual 2020 loss of both the Trump presidency and the subsequent campaign of election denial, the conservative operative Steve Bannon called for a new electoral strategy.—
Ira Wells
June 18,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refusal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusal. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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