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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
The city of Del Mar’s planning department rejected the application as incomplete because Lazier did not also initiate the process of amending the city’s Local Coastal Program to make the project eligible under the California Coastal Act. Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2025 Arab leaders back Syrian unity The statement issued after the summit said Arab leaders back Syria’s unity and reject foreign intervention in the country. Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2025
Noun
Instead of letting the weird baking mixes or seasonings go to waste, team up with your partner or roommates and make an Iron Chef style meal of the rejects. Grace McCarty, SELF, 28 Dec. 2024 Led by the foul-mouthed and fouler-smelling Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), the team of rejects consists of River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung), Louisa Guy (Rosalind Eleazar) and Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves) among others including newcomer, J.K. Coe (Thomas Brooke). Erik Kain, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for reject
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reject
Verb
  • For more than a decade, Cox has refused to carry SportsNet LA because of its high cost.
    Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
  • Related Stories Sonja Morgan Banned from N.Y.C. Hotspot After Walking Out on $1,000 Bill Sonja Morgan Speaks Out After Leaving Restaurant in Ambulance On May 10, Morgan allegedly refused to pay her $1000 bill at Tucci, an upscale restaurant in the Noho neighborhood of Manhattan.
    Liza Esquibias, People.com, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Aside from an apology video following the release of security footage in which Combs is seen beating Cassie, the music mogul has denied all of the allegations and claimed the video has been altered.
    Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 12 May 2025
  • Though some sheriffs have denied their existence, Luna has acknowledged and vowed to eradicate them.
    Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2025
Verb
  • Make sure to discard salsa that was left out at room temperature for over two hours, especially on hot days.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 15 May 2025
  • Today, House Republicans will move promptly to discard it.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
Verb
  • While the cost of groceries, on average, declined, the report found the price of dining out got more expensive and is up about 4% from the past year.
    Rachel Barber, USA Today, 14 May 2025
  • Rea had become a free agent when the Brewers declined their $5.5 million option for this year, deciding to instead pay him a $1 million buyout.
    Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • Wednesday is the most outcast of them all, heeding no rules but her own.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
  • Without possessing shiny superpowers, the outcasts that make up the Thunderbolts are forced to face their realities without the chasing fandoms and public support.
    Malik Peay, Essence, 8 May 2025
Noun
  • Out of the 60,000 babies born in New Zealand last year, there were 71 rejections, according to an Official Information Act inquiry.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 10 May 2025
  • Largely unknown, with few public remarks, Souter was considered a politically palatable choice as the contentious Senate rejection of Reagan nominee Robert Bork three years earlier still rattled Washington.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 May 2025
Verb
  • Depardieu has repeatedly refuted both accounts saying his actions had been misinterpreted.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 13 May 2025
  • What To Know In response, Baraka appeared on CNN's The Source With Kaitlan Collins, refuting Habba's claims.
    Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 May 2025
Verb
  • Federal complaints previously obtained by PEOPLE stated that Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, told detectives his wife confessed to killing Bush, and that the couple later burned her body and dumped it in a remote area.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 13 May 2025
  • When the beating ended, the group loaded Ortiz into the bed of a pickup truck and dumped him in a ditch, the station reported.
    Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reject.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reject. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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