refusenik

variants also refusnik
Definition of refuseniknext

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 refusenik This, too, meshes with the politics of the time, given the lure that Canada had for those fleeing the draft, and the dangers faced by refuseniks who stayed behind. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025 Instead, Elam became a refusenik, as conscientious objectors are called in Israel, over his disapproval of the Israel-Hamas war. Jade Walker, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025 When the Soviet Union lifted its ban on the Jewish refusenik emigration in 1971, my family saw their opportunity to start over in America. Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2022 Can the host forbid entry or try to make a refusenik toe the line? Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2021 Natan Sharansky has been a computer scientist, a chess player, a refusenik, a dissident, a political prisoner, a party leader, a government minister, a nonprofit executive, and a bestselling author. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 28 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refusenik
Noun
  • The uniform of the conformist — sports shirt, cardigan, tennis shoes — is as easily recognized as that of the recusant — dirty white T, sideburns, two days’ growth of beard.
    Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 15 July 2019
Noun
  • The Telegram restrictions have elicited widespread discontent in Russia, and this year activists in multiple regions tried to organize protests against it, but authorities quashed nearly all their attempts.
    Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • When in May the government admitted that the exam papers for medical and dental courses had been leaked and that millions would have to re-sit nationwide, long held discontent exploded into widespread anger.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
Noun
  • The rebels, meanwhile, saw a golden opportunity to reopen an airspace long shut by Saudi Arabia.
    Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The group is led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, a veteran of the Tuareg rebel group and a former Malian diplomat.
    ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Refusenik.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusenik. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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