Synonyms of refuse

refuse 1 of 3

verb

ri-ˈfyüz 

1

as in to deny

to be unwilling to grant

the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deny
• reject
• decline
• withhold
• disallow
• disapprove
• forbid
• negative
• prohibit
• keep
• restrict
• veto
• proscribe
• nix
• enjoin
• ban
• reprobate
• restrain
• spurn
• check
• hold
• repel
• constrain
• impede
• repress
• curb
• hinder
• obstruct
• rebuff
• balk (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• let
• permit
• allow
• provide
• afford
• grant
• concede
• give
• furnish
• supply
• authorize
• OK
• agree (to)
• license
• warrant
• consent (to)
• acquiesce
• sanction
• commission
• accede (to)
• accord
• assent (to)
• vouchsafe

2

as in to reject

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to

she refused the award, citing the hard work of others who deserved the recognition more than she did

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reject
• decline
• ignore
• deny
• pass
• dismiss
• spurn
• avoid
• withdraw
• forbid
• disapprove
• veto
• repudiate
• dispute
• pass up
• turn down
• deselect
• balk (at)
• throw over
• throw out
• negative
• nix
• prohibit
• reprobate
• overrule
• renounce
• proscribe
• revoke
• retract
• rebuff
• disdain
• forbear
• turn one's back on
• disavow
• disclaim
• recall
• scorn
• scout
• refrain (from)
• recant
• refute
• gainsay
• contradict
• forswear
• blow off
• stick
• abjure
• disown
• take back
• shoot down
• abstain (from)
• controvert
• disprove
• bypass
• disallow
• rebut
• negate
• renege
• disagree (with)
• unsay
• backtrack
• detour
• back down
• back off

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accept
• approve
• agree (to)
• receive
• tolerate
• take
• adopt
• swallow
• embrace
• condone
• agree
• welcome
• choose
• acquiesce
• accede
• consent
• select
• countenance
• assent
• support
• espouse
• handpick

refuse

2 of 3

noun

ˈre-ˌfyüs 

as in garbage

discarded or useless material

refuse had littered the playground until our volunteer group cleaned it up

Synonyms & Similar Words

• garbage
• debris
• trash
• rubbish
• dust
• junk
• truck
• litter
• sewage
• rubble
• waste
• scrap
• offal
• raffle
• chaff
• dross
• deadwood
• wash
• riffraff
• effluvium
• offscouring
• spilth
• reject
• wreckage
• dreck
• lumber
• ruins
• discard
• dump
• remains
• swill
• scrap heap
• detritus
• nothing
• crud
• cull
• odds and ends
• trumpery
• straw
• slop
• flotsam
• two bits
• jetsam
• throwaway
• castoff
• hand-me-down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• catch
• find
• prize
• treasure
• treasure trove
• plum
• pearl
• gem
• jewel
• trove
• salvage
• valuable
• goody
• booty

refuse

3 of 3

adjective

as in discarded

Related Words

• discarded
• ignored
• waste
• neglected
• junked
• rejected
• unattended
• jettisoned
• untended
• cast-off
• forgotten
• deserted
• shabby
• forsaken
• castaway
• vacated
• abandoned
• miserable
• godforsaken
• vacant
• disused
• void
• derelict
• idle
• wretched
• desolate
• empty

Dissimilar Words

• saved
• recovered
• redeemed
• reclaimed
• salvaged
• retrieved
• restored
• rescued
• reconditioned
• rehabilitated
• rehabbed
• repeopled

Synonym Chooser

How is the word refuse different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of refuse are decline, reject, repudiate, and spurn. While all these words mean "to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering," refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

In what contexts can decline take the place of refuse?

In some situations, the words decline and refuse are roughly equivalent. However, decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

When is reject a more appropriate choice than refuse?

The synonyms reject and refuse are sometimes interchangeable, but reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

When can repudiate be used instead of refuse?

The words repudiate and refuse can be used in similar contexts, but repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

When could spurn be used to replace refuse?

Although the words spurn and refuse have much in common, spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of refuse

Verb

Maxwell, earlier Monday, refused to testify to a House committee. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026

Companies are paying for the capability (the degree) but refusing to unlock the productivity (the promotion). —Katica Roy, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026

Noun

As workers separated the burning refuse and doused the items with water, a 911 call was made. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025

Proto-dogs, for example, would have dug through human trash heaps, and cats were attracted to the mice that gathered around refuse. —Marina Wang, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2025

Adjective

Officials with the city’s Bureau of Sanitation said the existing trash fees have not been generating enough money to cover the true cost of refuse collection. —David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2025

Cement mixers, roll-off and dump trucks, which all share a common architecture, will be built first, followed by refuse trucks and terminal tractors. —Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 7 Dec. 2023