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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refused
Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
Prior to her death, Phillips had refused meals over multiple days while in the Tarrant County Jail.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
At the same time, because the Soviet state refused to distinguish Jewish victims killed as Jews from the totality of civilian losses during the war, the euphemism ends up naming what it was designed to erase.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
His father refused to relinquish his grudge, as Dreher saw it, and his mother always went along with her husband.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
The family refused to accept the version of events pushed by the authorities and paid the money to get the body back.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
But his office has refused to defend state agencies dozens of times in the past, a 2023 investigation by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune found.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2026
When asked to comment, two parents of students refused due to fear of such harassment.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
At his confirmation hearing, Kennedy refused to disavow links between vaccines and autism, a favorite theory of outfits spurring vaccine hesitancy among parents, though numerous studies have found no connection.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
Trump subsequently condemned the image but refused to apologize.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
Prior to her death, Phillips had refused meals over multiple days while in the Tarrant County Jail.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
At the same time, because the Soviet state refused to distinguish Jewish victims killed as Jews from the totality of civilian losses during the war, the euphemism ends up naming what it was designed to erase.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
His father refused to relinquish his grudge, as Dreher saw it, and his mother always went along with her husband.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
The family refused to accept the version of events pushed by the authorities and paid the money to get the body back.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
But his office has refused to defend state agencies dozens of times in the past, a 2023 investigation by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune found.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2026
When asked to comment, two parents of students refused due to fear of such harassment.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
At his confirmation hearing, Kennedy refused to disavow links between vaccines and autism, a favorite theory of outfits spurring vaccine hesitancy among parents, though numerous studies have found no connection.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refused
Verb
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The Board of Directors denied Buchanan's reappointment to a full five-year term last October.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Hubbard denied the students' accusations.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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More than 300 district judges in Minnesota and elsewhere have so far rejected the government’s mandatory detention policies, ordering detainees released or granted bond hearings.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
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That happened recently in Kansas City – where voters rejected a new stadium – and Philadelphia, where the team reversed its decision to build the arena near the city’s Chinatown.—
Gidon Jakar,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Police and city leaders declined to comment on her claims when approached by CNN.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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The driver and the bicyclist, who was struck, declined to be taken to the hospital.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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So, the fact that the Illinois fireworks ban is roundly ignored by Illinoisans is not a surprise to anyone, as the night skies prove on Independence Day.—
Brad Weisenstein,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Ackerly says the lesson is simple but often ignored.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One clip appears to show a Waymo vehicle stopped while other vehicles illegally pass a stopped bus.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
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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.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refused. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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