rejected 1 of 2

adjective

ri-ˈjek-təd How to pronounce rejected (audio)
Definition of rejectednext
as in abandoned
left unoccupied or unused picked up the rejected toy to see what was wrong with it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rejected

2 of 2

verb

past tense of reject
1
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant rejected his request for time off

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 rejected
Verb
Lebanon faces internal strife over a peace framework with Israel, rejected by Hezbollah. — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 On Tuesday night, Denver voters rejected that pitch — as loudly as possible. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 1 July 2026 The Yolo County Board of Supervisors rejected those findings. — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 2 July 2026 Lawmakers have raised conflict of interest concerns, which the president has repeatedly rejected. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 1 July 2026 Other cities are fighting lawsuits from developers who say their Live Local projects were rejected in violation of the law’s provisions, which require local authorities to grant approval if a proposal satisfies certain conditions. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026 Indigenous groups protested the last time Mount Rushmore hosted a fireworks display, and former President Joe Biden's administration rejected subsequent attempts to have fireworks at the national monument. — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 25 June 2026 GameStop proposed to acquire eBay at $125 per share in May, and while eBay rejected the offer, GameStop has continued to pursue the deal, creating a layer of optionality on top of an improving operating story. — Tony Zhang, CNBC, 1 July 2026 In May, the EEOC filed a discrimination lawsuit against the New York Times alleging discrimination against a white male employee, which the Times has rejected as politically motivated. — Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rejected
  1. abandoned
  2. denied
  3. refuted
  4. discarded
  5. refused
  6. deserted
  7. declined
  8. dumped
Adjective
  • According to the gallery, the 25-minute film is set in a semi-abandoned hotel near Tokyo and reimagines the Greek myth of the goddess Persephone’s abduction by Hades.
    — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 16 June 2026
  • The city has been overwhelmed in recent years by an influx of abandoned and stray dogs and puppies.
    — Alyce McFadden, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of abandoned
Verb
  • Graf denied a defense request to force Robinson's partner to travel from Texas to testify in person.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Historically, the Catholic Church had denied religious funerals inside its houses of worship as well as traditional burials for those who died in this way.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of denied
Verb
  • Wainger also refuted the assertion that Pennel had expected to be arrested.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
  • Reports emerged earlier this year that Beatrice and Eugenie were not invited to Royal Ascot, only to be refuted by subsequent reports claiming that they were invited, after all.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 28 June 2026
Definition of refuted
Verb
  • Still, once the tooth is out and discarded, the choice disappears with it.
    — Allison Palmer July 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026
  • Blueberries with a purchase date of July 3, 2026 or before should be discarded, Publix advises.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of discarded
Verb
  • He's refused to sign the bipartisan legislation until Congress passes a voting restrictions bill called the SAVE America Act.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • But both Mamdani and his police commissioner have repeatedly refused to discuss the nature of the event — angering some nearby business owners and raising questions about the use of public resources to cover private security.
    — Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 2 July 2026
Definition of refused
Adjective
  • Once all but deserted, the town experienced a revival in 1965, when artists and musicians began to flock there after encouragement from the Yugoslav government.
    — Tia Lovisa Moreira, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026
  • Security video reportedly shows Carman entering a condominium hand in hand with the teen, then later leaving alone, hauling a large suitcase toward a deserted area alongside the railway.
    — Jintamas Saksornchai, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of deserted
Verb
  • The location for the bronze statue on the Wimbledon grounds hasn't been announced and Williams-Ellis declined to offer specifics about the pose.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
  • In doing so, Valdez, like fellow successful DSA New York Congressional candidate Avila Chevalier, declined to endorse Jeffries as minority leader or even Speaker if the Democrats take back the House.
    — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 4 July 2026
Definition of declined
Verb
  • There are two possible, competing ways in which dust can affect the Alfvén waves, which in turn could determine how energy is dumped into the corona, heating it.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 7 July 2026
  • As a result, Corbin and Parmida were dumped from Love Island USA.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 6 July 2026
Definition of dumped

Browse Nearby Words

reject
rejected
rejecting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rejected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rejected. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on rejected

Nglish: Translation of rejected for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All