REFUSE Synonyms: 225 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

refuse 1 of 3

verb

ri-ˈfyüz

Definition of refuse

as in to deny

to be unwilling to grant the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

refuse

3 of 3

adjective

as in discarded

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of refuse

Verb

Roberts is refusing to talk about that part of the plan, for now. — Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 24 Aug. 2026 Though the Liberty controlled the game throughout, the Fever were a pesky mosquito refusing to go away. — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Noun

In photo images shared by the Parks and Rec Department, an outdoor trash barrel sits ringed by bags of refuse collected next to a playing field. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 8 July 2026 It’s often viewed as a dumping ground for human refuse — out of sight, out of mind — and it is structured to prevent prying eyes. — Gerard S. Williams, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2026

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 See All Example Sentences for refuse

Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuse

Verb

During a month in detention, Khan was denied access to medications for hypothyroidism, high blood pressure and glaucoma, according to testimony by her daughter, Riya Khan.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026
He was then kept at Palace the following season playing just eight times, being denied the opportunity for a temporary move away, before playing 36 times for Sheffield United in the Championship in 2024-25, scoring seven times.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of deny

Verb

Pakistan’s government rejected the allegations over the weekend, saying Khan was examined by doctors from the private hospital and that he could not be taken to Shifa International for security reasons.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Importantly, the jury's decision is advisory, meaning the ultimate decision rests with the judge, who can accept or reject the conclusions.

— Paulina Likos, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of reject

Noun

William Gottlieb’s suit also notes that Urban Zen hosts catered gatherings that generate food garbage, therefore creating fodder for the rats.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 25 Aug. 2026
Once on the first floor, state police found that this area of the home was also cluttered with various things as well as large black garbage bags filled with unknown items, the search warrant said.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of garbage

Verb

However, entering June, crude prices pulled back significantly, while retail gasoline prices declined at a markedly slower pace.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
At home several center-right parties initially declined to join his coalition, illustrating the challenge of uniting the broader Brazilian right behind his candidacy.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of decline

Verb

The stock that spent two years being ignored by the same investors who loaded up on Hilton and Marriott is now having its moment.

— Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Alicia McCalla, 56, a fiction writer who has been doing voice work for five years out of her home in Atlanta, decided to ignore union suggestions and clone her voice.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of ignore

Noun

Chinese surveillance footage from the Tibetan side of the border shows a huge wall of mud and debris crashing over buildings and engulfing roads as people desperately try to flee the torrent.

— Diaa Hadid, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
An ice and rock avalanche from a high-altitude glacier may have triggered the flooding, with a large volume of debris entering the Lende Khola tributary, researchers have said in a preliminary assessment.

— Josh Feldman, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of debris

Adjective

Recycling and anti-waste advocates counter that regulators weakened the law with exemptions and carve-outs that could undermine its environmental goals.

— Bloomberg, Mercury News, 1 June 2026
Shards of glass and ceramic, rusted metal, medical and bio-waste, syringes, cracked circuit boards, and broken electronics protruded everywhere.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026

Definition of waste

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“Refuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refuse. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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