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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 spurned
Mia Williams, a former Gator, spurned her former team with a two-run home run for the 10-8 win.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 3 June 2026
It’s now widely sold online, often marketed as a natural substance, produced by the human body, that has been spurned by pharmaceutical companies but discovered by medical outsiders.
—Sara Talpos — Undark, STAT, 1 June 2026
Salome, spurned by Jokanaan’s rejection, agrees.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
Being based in Austin, Davis voiced particular dismay at having been spurned by his hometown school, the University of Texas.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026
Ukraine retaliated after Russia spurned Kyiv’s ceasefire offer earlier in the week, with President Zelensky accusing Moscow of ignoring goodwill gestures and continuing all military operations against civilians.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
In a flurry of rapid-fire votes, most Senate Republicans spurned a group of measures Democrats said would lower everyday costs for Americans while separately moving to approve $70 billion for immigration enforcement.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
However, four of the signatories spurned the agreement and resumed fighting after the 2021 army takeover.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The two women haven’t spoken in 10 years when Mother Mary shows up on Sam Anselm’s doorstep with sad eyes and stringy hair, like a lost dog who got caught in the rain, and her spurned BFF leaps at the chance to make the most of her leverage.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 3 June 2026
It’s now widely sold online, often marketed as a natural substance, produced by the human body, that has been spurned by pharmaceutical companies but discovered by medical outsiders.
—Sara Talpos — Undark, STAT, 1 June 2026
Salome, spurned by Jokanaan’s rejection, agrees.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
Being based in Austin, Davis voiced particular dismay at having been spurned by his hometown school, the University of Texas.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026
Ukraine retaliated after Russia spurned Kyiv’s ceasefire offer earlier in the week, with President Zelensky accusing Moscow of ignoring goodwill gestures and continuing all military operations against civilians.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
In a flurry of rapid-fire votes, most Senate Republicans spurned a group of measures Democrats said would lower everyday costs for Americans while separately moving to approve $70 billion for immigration enforcement.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
However, four of the signatories spurned the agreement and resumed fighting after the 2021 army takeover.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The two women haven’t spoken in 10 years when Mother Mary shows up on Sam Anselm’s doorstep with sad eyes and stringy hair, like a lost dog who got caught in the rain, and her spurned BFF leaps at the chance to make the most of her leverage.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurned
Verb
-
New Hampshire, which rejected the DNC’s plan, held a leadoff primary ahead of South Carolina anyway, and Biden — who didn’t campaign or have his name on the ballot — still won by a sizable margin after supporters mounted a write-in campaign on his behalf.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
-
Voters rejected a state ballot proposal in 1998 to legalize the prescription of lethal medication to help terminally ill, competent, informed adults commit suicide in Michigan, with 71% voting against the initiative.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The stories below belong to 13 Black women who refused to be reduced to a statistic.—
Ayren Jackson-Cannady,
SELF,
29 May 2026
-
Allen refused to unload the bike, which weighed roughly 300 pounds, according to court records.—
Rose Evans
Updated May 29,
Idaho Statesman,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Enrollment declined the past two years at DU after years of growth, Rinehart said.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
When asked about her challenging Qualls in a primary, her campaign declined to comment Saturday.—
Jimmy Lovrien,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Although the military initially ignored it, the principle later became foundational to spread-spectrum wireless communication technologies used in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and modern secure communications.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
-
Then, the cries of Ginny’s baby are a major wake-up call for the couple that can’t be ignored.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurned. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
