as in rejected
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
fiercely independent, the elderly couple spurned all offers of financial help
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Recent Examples of spurned
Braddy’s motive, Rifkin said, was that he was spurned by Maycock, who had repeatedly rejected his advances.
—
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Then he was named interim head coach but was spurned the full-time job at the last minute in the fall of 2022 when UW instead hired Luke Fickell.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026
Closer Edwin Diaz spurned the Mets for the Dodgers a month ago, signing for $69 million over three years with deferrals.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2026
The deal came together less than a day after the Mets struck out on free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, who spurned New York to sign a four-year, $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Wissa spurned a fifth-minute effort from close range, while the same player’s looping header that James Trafford clawed away, which was immediately followed by Bruno Guimaraes hitting the post, came just before Semenyo scored the opener.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Last month, the Warner board spurned the Ellisons’ and Paramount’s offer and agreed to sell its movie-and-TV studio and the HBO Max service to Netflix, creating a potential streaming colossus.
—Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Trump has spurned the sort of global influence that required the appearance of fairness.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
But the deal with Netflix came after WBD spurned David Ellison’s Paramount, which had been pursuing a merger since the late summer.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Then he was named interim head coach but was spurned the full-time job at the last minute in the fall of 2022 when UW instead hired Luke Fickell.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026
Closer Edwin Diaz spurned the Mets for the Dodgers a month ago, signing for $69 million over three years with deferrals.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2026
The deal came together less than a day after the Mets struck out on free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, who spurned New York to sign a four-year, $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Wissa spurned a fifth-minute effort from close range, while the same player’s looping header that James Trafford clawed away, which was immediately followed by Bruno Guimaraes hitting the post, came just before Semenyo scored the opener.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Last month, the Warner board spurned the Ellisons’ and Paramount’s offer and agreed to sell its movie-and-TV studio and the HBO Max service to Netflix, creating a potential streaming colossus.
—Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Trump has spurned the sort of global influence that required the appearance of fairness.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
But the deal with Netflix came after WBD spurned David Ellison’s Paramount, which had been pursuing a merger since the late summer.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurned
Verb
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Nearly a year before Kim debunked the rumors, Cheban rejected the claims during a March 2025 interview with Us Weekly, sharing sentiments similar to Kim’s about their differing lifestyles.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
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The ruling rejected the league’s attempt to force Flores into arbitration, which would have had Commissioner Roger Goodell serve as the arbitrator.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hundreds of vehicles were caught in traffic jams on the outskirts of Islamabad, where many refused to turn back despite warnings.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026
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At that time, the Turlock City Council refused to allocate a symbolic $1 and a letter of support that would have unlocked more than $270,000 in state funding for the city's only low-barrier shelter.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bob Atrops hired a lawyer a week after Debe's body was found and declined to take a polygraph.—
Sarah Prior,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Market Performance The S&P 500 declined modestly last week.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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People's Liberation Army troops under Mao's control either ignored the violence or offered support to the insurrectionists while the country descended into lawlessness and retribution.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Its 40 mph speed limit is largely ignored, as are no left turn signs.—
Carolyn Gusoff,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurned. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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