as in rejected
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1
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant
the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in declined
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
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Recent Examples of refused
Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026
At that time, the Turlock City Council refused to allocate a symbolic $1 and a letter of support that would have unlocked more than $270,000 in state funding for the city's only low-barrier shelter.
—Nina Burns, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
Scherzer got in the manager’s face and refused to go.
—Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Trump has repeatedly aired his grievances with NATO and recently refused to ruled out leaving the alliance over his contentious push to annex Greenland.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
McLaughlin said Conejo Arias asked to keep Ramos with him after the child's mother refused to take him.
—Louis Casiano , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
During our first visit, Maryam, embarrassed by her English, refused to ask the salesperson a question.
—Jennifer Obel, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026
The congregants are media-savvy; many refused to give full names to avoid appearing to speak for their offices.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
No candidate for speaker had supported the change; Gaston Cantens, a Cuban American legislator who represented Miami, had refused to do so in the previous speaker race and ended up dropping out.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
Hundreds of vehicles were caught in traffic jams on the outskirts of Islamabad, where many refused to turn back despite warnings.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026
At that time, the Turlock City Council refused to allocate a symbolic $1 and a letter of support that would have unlocked more than $270,000 in state funding for the city's only low-barrier shelter.
—Nina Burns, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
Scherzer got in the manager’s face and refused to go.
—Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Trump has repeatedly aired his grievances with NATO and recently refused to ruled out leaving the alliance over his contentious push to annex Greenland.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
McLaughlin said Conejo Arias asked to keep Ramos with him after the child's mother refused to take him.
—Louis Casiano , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
During our first visit, Maryam, embarrassed by her English, refused to ask the salesperson a question.
—Jennifer Obel, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026
The congregants are media-savvy; many refused to give full names to avoid appearing to speak for their offices.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
No candidate for speaker had supported the change; Gaston Cantens, a Cuban American legislator who represented Miami, had refused to do so in the previous speaker race and ended up dropping out.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refused
Verb
-
On Monday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had denied Thompson's request to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Tehran has denied the allegations.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Earlier, Senate Democrats rejected Republican proposals to address their demands through an executive order or separate legislation, which would not require the existing measure to go back through the House.—
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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Among other measures, the settlement stipulates that Columbia won't consider race in admissions, programming or hiring, will provide a demographic and academics breakdown of all rejected and admitted students, and will review its international admissions process.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bob Atrops hired a lawyer a week after Debe's body was found and declined to take a polygraph.—
Sarah Prior,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Market Performance The S&P 500 declined modestly last week.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Banfield's at-times tense testimony comes after his attorney scrutinized the county's investigation into the defendant, arguing that officials, almost since the beginning, forced a theory that the husband had catfished and killed his wife, and ignored evidence that undermined that conclusion.—
OLIVIA DIAZ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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Their position ignored the Ukrainian perspective on the issue, thus excluding Ukrainians as the affected party from understanding and communicating current and historical narratives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Transparency instead of testing Where the vetoed SB 1047 would have mandated safety testing and kill switches for AI systems, the new law focuses on disclosure.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One clip appears to show a Waymo vehicle stopped while other vehicles illegally pass a stopped bus.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
-
That's when a 51-year-old woman driving a Tesla south on Highway 85 struck the Focus, causing both cars to spin and crash into a stopped semi-truck.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refused. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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