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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 district decided to reject all the bids received the first two times, leading an administrator to say last year that the process was flawed and some School Board members to question whether anything unethical was happening. Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2025 This is in contrast to most traditional Hindu narratives, in which the husband rejects a wife who has been ‘defiled’ by another man’s attentions. Radha Vatsal june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 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
  • Newsom is effectively forcing the Wiener proposal through by refusing to sign a budget deal without the CEQA exemptions.
    Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
  • The film follows the young singer Seti, who refuses to accept the fact that women in Iran are not allowed to perform in public.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • But the company denies claims that its equipment sparked the 2019 fire, which tore through Sylmar, Porter Ranch and Granada Hills — all suburbs of Los Angeles — burning 8,799 acres.
    Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
  • To many in the transgender community, the policy also felt like another attack by the current administration to erase them from public spaces and deny their existence.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • One defense expert suggested that O’Keefe’s injuries were caused by a dog, backing up the defense’s theory that O’Keefe was beaten inside the home of a fellow cop, attacked by his dog and discarded outside during a blizzard.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 19 June 2025
  • Analysts say Ukraine is among the countries that are the most affected by land mines and discarded explosives as a result of Russia’s ongoing war.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • LeBron James already opted in to a $52.6 million deal with the Lakers for next season, the Rockets traded for Durant and the Los Angeles Clippers saw James Harden decline his option in return for a new deal and a raise.
    Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025
  • At the time, Harvard declined to comment on the president’s post.
    Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • After granting him and his fellow outcasts amnesty in 1859, Napoleon III lamented the great man’s decision to remain in exile.
    Graham Robb, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
  • Director Naoko Yamada and Kyoto Animation weave a beautifully intimate coming-of-age story of a young deaf girl and the sixth-grade bully who, years later, becomes a social outcast and tries to atone for his past cruelty.
    Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Losing a job, or facing creative rejection, is a very real type of grief that doesn’t always get depicted as grief.
    Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 27 June 2025
  • Despite the constant rejection, Van-Der-Sluis seems determined to find the love of his life.
    Allison DeGrushe Published, EW.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • But DeGeneres ultimately refuted the claims that savaged her career.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 23 June 2025
  • State-run news agency Xinhua on Friday refuted claims that regions had canceled the subsidies.
    Bernice Ooi, CNBC, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • The development team framed the deal as a way for the city to create more low-income housing, dump the financial burden of the unoccupied property and secure a money-making property at the end of the lease.
    Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2025
  • Replace status dumps with two-way updates and invite feedback and surface risks early.
    Dr. Cynthia J. Young, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reject.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reject. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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