as in rejected
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1
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant
the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in declined
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
she refused the award, citing the hard work of others who deserved the recognition more than she did
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of refused
Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2025
And the defense refused to yield.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
What Thune, who has refused to negotiate, might promise on health care is unknown.
—Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2025
Faced with a devastating prognosis, Stacie refused to accept that this would be the end of her husband’s story.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
The president refused to meet until the day before the deadline.
—ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
The daughter refused and didn’t return her mother’s calls.
—Russell Shaw, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Congressional Democrats have refused to sign off on a federal spending bill that doesn't extend the subsidies, which has prompted a monthlong federal government shutdown.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Grier initially had refused to take calls on several players including wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, cornerback Rasul Douglas as well as edge rushers Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Matthew Judon, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
—Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
Google, Meta, Microsoft’s LinkedIn, and Elon Musk’s X have all delayed, adjusted, or flat-out refused to launch AI products because of the bloc’s laws.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for refused
Verb
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At the time, ICE had requested local officials hold him in jail, but that request was denied, the affidavit said.—
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The agency that was set to investigate before being denied access to evidence and case materials is called the Force Investigations Unit of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, part of the Department of Public Safety.—
Verb
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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a liberal Democrat with a pragmatist bent, instantly rejected the suggestion that Mamdani represented the new face of the Democratic Party.—
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Demonstrators argued that taxpayer money should not be used to harm or kill innocent people and rejected claims that the killing of Good was an act of self-defense.—
Verb
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Since the mandate, neural tube defects have dramatically declined in almost every single ethnic population except for Latinos, according to Jaffery.—
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Wiener declined to answer the question in either direction.—
Verb
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Even humble fiber, often ignored in favor of flashy nutrients, plays a massive role.—
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The Legislature should also consider the fact that Florida’s public integrity laws are all too frequently ignored.—
Adjective
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Transparency instead of testing Where the vetoed SB 1047 would have mandated safety testing and kill switches for AI systems, the new law focuses on disclosure.—
Adjective
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That's when a 51-year-old woman driving a Tesla south on Highway 85 struck the Focus, causing both cars to spin and crash into a stopped semi-truck.—
Cite this Entry
“Refused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refused. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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