REJECT Synonyms: 220 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

reject 1 of 2

verb

ri-ˈjekt

Definition of reject next

as in to refuse

to be unwilling to grant rejected his request for time off

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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as in to decline

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to rejected his marriage proposal

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reject

2 of 2

noun

ˈrē-ˌjekt

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

insider

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 court rejected those arguments, instead ruling in favor of the government. —

Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 17 Jan. 2025 Apple previously rebuffed the National Center for Public Policy Research in 2014, when shareholders rejected a resolution that would have forced the company to disclose more about the cost effectiveness of its investments to combat climate change. —

Conor Murray, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025

Noun

Broke, unemployed and facing eviction, the aspiring screenwriter and grad-school reject needed a quick hustle to keep the lights on. —

Janay Kingsberry, Washington Post, 7 July 2024 That band of rejects includes River Cartwright, an MI5 legacy and fail(grand)son who gets demoted to Slough House in the series premiere after spectacularly screwing up a training exercise. —

Joe Reid, Vulture, 18 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for reject

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reject

Verb

Trump’s second swearing-in comes after the previous transition of power in 2020 was marked by tension, after Trump refused to concede and a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

— Chantelle Lee, TIME, 20 Jan. 2025
My family refuses to leave Los Angeles, which makes it forever a part of me.

— Shawn Hubler, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025