as in rejection
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
his flat refusal of our reasonable request was rather startling
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refusal
Anthropic claimed the designation was retaliation after the company’s refusal to grant government access to models for the purposes of building autonomous weapons or conducting domestic mass surveillance.
—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
1 July 2026
Nothing on the league's refusal to do anything about these incidents.
—
Zach Dean Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2026
This reshoring obsession drove Washington’s refusal to exempt Mexican steel and aluminum exports from the 50% tariff that the administration imposed in mid-2025 and provide only a partial exemption on a 25% tariff on autos and auto parts.
—
Pamela K. Starr,
The Conversation,
30 June 2026
Her parents, Baptist deacons who ultimately left the church over its refusal to ordain women, raised their children to wrestle with such questions.
—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
1 July 2026
Nothing on the league's refusal to do anything about these incidents.
—
Zach Dean Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2026
This reshoring obsession drove Washington’s refusal to exempt Mexican steel and aluminum exports from the 50% tariff that the administration imposed in mid-2025 and provide only a partial exemption on a 25% tariff on autos and auto parts.
—
Pamela K. Starr,
The Conversation,
30 June 2026
Her parents, Baptist deacons who ultimately left the church over its refusal to ordain women, raised their children to wrestle with such questions.
—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for refusal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refusal
Noun
-
Using basic academic terminology would place grants at risk of rejection or termination on political grounds.
-
That persisted into 2026 amid disagreements over the Russian war on Ukraine, including Meloni’s rejection of a proposal by Britain and France to send European troops there following a possible ceasefire.
Noun
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One reason Pharis has been so vocal online is to fight back against the shame and denial that drive so many to withhold their HIV status from others.
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Between 2016 and 2023, claim denials increased from 9% to 12%.
Cite this Entry
“Refusal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusal. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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