reject 1 of 2

verb

ri-ˈjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
Definition of rejectnext
1
as in to refuse
to be unwilling to grant rejected his request for time off

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deny
to declare not to be true I reject the claim that I have ever lied about that

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to discard
to get rid of as useless or unwanted sorted through the nuts and rejected any that had cracked shells or were shattered

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to decline
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to rejected his marriage proposal

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reject

2 of 2

noun

ˈrē-ˌjekt How to pronounce reject (audio)
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

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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
Related article Prince Harry Fast Facts The Heritage Foundation has raised questions about Prince Harry’s writings of past recreational drug use in his memoir, since admission of past drug use can be grounds to reject a visa application. — Rebekah Riess, CNN, 18 Mar. 2025 Last year, Google had proposed buying Wiz for $23 billion but CEO Assaf Rappaport at the time rejected the offer and said his company would pursue an IPO. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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 The true stab here isn’t just that Donald lied to Roy on his deathbed, or that Donald would so callously reject the friend who turned him from an outer-borough reject into a mover and shaker within Manhattan. — Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 See All Example Sentences for reject
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reject
  1. refuse
  2. deny
  3. discard
  4. decline
  5. outcast
  6. rejection
  7. refute
  8. dump
Verb
  • According to Boasberg, Trump's Cabinet secretaries are deciding whether to refuse to provide evidence.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The Encanto star remembers when productions refused to cast more than one Latino.
    — Yolanda Machado, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of refuse
Verb
  • In most fields workers are prone to deny a problem and even pretend to enjoy the abuse.
    — James L. Edwards III, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The Idaho Senate this week approved a joint resolution to deny voters the authority to legalize cannabis through a statewide ballot initiative.
    — A.J. Herrington, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of deny
Verb
  • It could have been discarded as a worthwhile punt that just did not work out, but the scrutiny on the transfer increased when Kai Havertz sustained a season-ending hamstring tear in February.
    — Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Employees had to discard taquitos and hot dog bites that were stored in a broken refrigerator.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of discard
Verb
  • Representatives for Boeing declined to comment on the matter.
    — Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 14 Mar. 2025
  • An Interior Department spokesperson declined to comment on personnel matters.
    — Ella Nilsen, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of decline
Noun
  • After the fall of Saul, the once-mighty King of Israel, the prophet Samuel is directed by God to anoint teen outcast David as the new king.
    — DeVonne Goode, Parents, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Those capricious moves and bold reversals have fueled the anxiety in the diplomatic corps here in Washington even as allies and outcasts alike are trying to make sense of the moment.
    — Philip Elliott, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of outcast
Noun
  • Black women business owners who apply for funding face a 3x higher rejection rate than that of white business owners according to recent data.
    — Jasmine Browley, Essence, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Apparently undeterred by Greenland and Denmark’s rejection of his advances, Trump has repeatedly returned to the subject of the U.S.′ claim of ownership.
    — Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of rejection
Verb
  • However, according to The Washington Post, current and former USAID officials refuted Musk’s claims.
    — Jennifer Lotito, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • If the opening set introduced any doubts, though, the rest of the show refuted them.
    — Abby Webster, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of refute
Verb
  • The complaint against White wasn’t filed the day of the incident but on Monday, a day after Kyng was dumped dead at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in East Flatbush, cops said.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The big picture: California's rainy season, which roughly spans from November to early April, is marked by the prevalence of atmospheric rivers, characterized as highways of concentrated water vapor that travel across the Pacific Ocean which dump heavy snow or rain on land.
    — Nadia Lopez, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of dump

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Cite this Entry

“Reject.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reject. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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