Synonyms of refuses

refuses

verb

present tense third-person singular of refuse

1

as in denies

to be unwilling to grant

the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews

Synonyms & Similar Words

• denies
• rejects
• declines
• withholds
• disapproves
• disallows
• forbids
• nixes
• prohibits
• keeps
• spurns
• restricts
• enjoins
• vetoes
• negatives
• proscribes
• bans
• restrains
• holds
• repels
• reprobates
• rebuffs
• checks
• represses
• constrains
• hinders
• obstructs
• impedes
• curbs
• balks (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lets
• permits
• allows
• concedes
• provides
• gives
• grants
• affords
• furnishes
• authorizes
• supplies
• acquiesces
• licenses
• agrees (to)
• OKs
• consents (to)
• warrants
• commissions
• assents (to)
• accedes (to)
• accords
• sanctions
• vouchsafes

2

as in rejects

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

• rejects
• declines
• ignores
• denies
• passes
• forbids
• spurns
• dismisses
• withdraws
• disapproves
• avoids
• repudiates
• vetoes
• nixes
• disputes
• balks (at)
• deselects
• passes up
• turns down
• throws over
• disdains
• scorns
• throws out
• prohibits
• rebuffs
• overrules
• renounces
• reprobates
• retracts
• negatives
• proscribes
• revokes
• disavows
• turns one's back on
• recants
• contradicts
• recalls
• refutes
• abjures
• disclaims
• forswears
• blows off
• disowns
• scouts
• refrains (from)
• sticks
• bypasses
• disproves
• disallows
• reneges
• backtracks
• shoots down
• controverts
• gainsays
• abstains (from)
• negates
• rebuts
• forbears
• disagrees (with)
• takes back
• unsays
• detours
• backs off
• backs down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accepts
• approves
• agrees (to)
• receives
• takes
• tolerates
• agrees
• adopts
• embraces
• welcomes
• swallows
• condones
• chooses
• consents
• acquiesces
• selects
• assents
• supports
• countenances
• accedes
• espouses
• handpicks

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of refuses

Footloose is also name-checked, which is technically not a horror movie but is about a small town that stubbornly refuses to change. —Jen Chaney, Vulture, 13 May 2026

Hunter is stubborn, arrogant and gifted enough to play for the Briar hockey team, yet refuses to for reasons the show has yet to reveal. —Kennedy French, Variety, 13 May 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to take Hamas’ remaining weapons by force if the militant group refuses to surrender them. —Matt Bradley, NBC news, 12 May 2026

Rami Malek stars as Jimmy George, a magnetic performer who refuses to surrender to his own mortality, instead throwing himself into a new role, a new relationship and the embrace of his partner and friends. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026

Still, the brownish underlayer refuses to entirely disappear. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 12 May 2026

The Supreme Court historically refuses to overrule state courts’ interpretations of state constitutions, making Democrats’ legal challenge an unlikely success even in this heated redistricting battle. —Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026

Stoner refuses to let his passion for literature be stifled. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026

In the nation’s fastest-gentrifying city, Black DC refuses quiet erasure. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026