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reject

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noun

1
as in outcast
one who is cast out or rejected by society was the school reject as a child and has low self-esteem even today

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in discard
something separated from a group or lot for not being as good as the others that apple has a mushy spot on it, so it's a reject

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of reject are decline, refuse, repudiate, and spurn. While all these words mean "to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering," reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

When might decline be a better fit than reject?

While in some cases nearly identical to reject, decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

When would refuse be a good substitute for reject?

The words refuse and reject are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

When could repudiate be used to replace reject?

The meanings of repudiate and reject largely overlap; however, repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

When is it sensible to use spurn instead of reject?

Although the words spurn and reject 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 reject
Verb
In September, a group of Republican lawmakers proposed requiring a referendum for wheel taxes, allowing voters to approve or reject the fee. Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 9 Oct. 2025 Colonists soured on military occupation during the war for many of the same reasons Bostonians had rejected it. Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
This man shows up dressed up like a Pentecostal deacon’s son headed to the 2018 NBA draft, only to end up a fifth-round reject. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2025 The modern reject rejects the academic consensus on everything from the science of vaccines to the benefits of free trade. Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reject
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reject
Verb
  • What isn’t known — and what university and fraternity officials have refused to discuss — is what happened in the basement of the three-story house in the 1300 block of West Campus Road, before the young man lost consciousness.
    Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Thomas, alas, can refuse any trade after taking the qualifying offer this summer and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
    John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Republicans argue Democrats want to fund health care for immigrants in the country illegally, a claim Democrats deny.
    Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Once there, she was assigned a bare mattress on the floor and denied religious accommodations, including Halal meals, her lawyers said.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • If your bulbs feel squishy, discard them.
    Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Non-reusable textiles (otherwise known as NRTs) are of particular interest, underscored by ACT UK’s report that the region discards 740,000 metric tons of NRT every year.
    Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Agency officials and spokespeople declined to speak to ProPublica.
    Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Trammell Crow declined to provide further details on the permit filing, including information on a construction timeline.
    Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Without his mother’s overbearing glare, Ed becomes romantically involved with Adeline Watkins (Suzanna Son), an intriguing outcast in town, and begins indulging in a spree of gruesome crimes that would later shock the nation.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The 2000 coming-of-age comedy starred Patrick Fugit as a high school outcast in 1973 who gets chosen to write a Rolling Stone profile for an up-and-coming rock band called Stillwater.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But those early rejections didn’t destroy their confidence.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025
  • This over-enthusiasm can backfire, leading to rejection.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • When rumors flew in the colonies that Franklin had personally designed the Stamp Act, William refuted the charges.
    Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Strowman quickly refuted this claim on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Coach Joanne is dead set on turning things around this season despite having just been brutally dumped by her girlfriend and co-founder of the team.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Ross took over for Joe Maddon, who five years earlier replaced Rick Renteria in a prior example of the Cubs dumping a first-time manager for a more experienced, accomplished hand.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reject.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reject. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

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