as in rejected
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
fiercely independent, the elderly couple spurned all offers of financial help
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Recent Examples of spurned
Being based in Austin, Davis voiced particular dismay at having been spurned by his hometown school, the University of Texas.
—
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026
Ukraine retaliated after Russia spurned Kyiv’s ceasefire offer earlier in the week, with President Zelensky accusing Moscow of ignoring goodwill gestures and continuing all military operations against civilians.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
In a flurry of rapid-fire votes, most Senate Republicans spurned a group of measures Democrats said would lower everyday costs for Americans while separately moving to approve $70 billion for immigration enforcement.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
However, four of the signatories spurned the agreement and resumed fighting after the 2021 army takeover.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The two women haven’t spoken in 10 years when Mother Mary shows up on Sam Anselm’s doorstep with sad eyes and stringy hair, like a lost dog who got caught in the rain, and her spurned BFF leaps at the chance to make the most of her leverage.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Hiller spurned Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee to join a program in need of talent up front during first-year head coach Jon Sumrall’s rebuild.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
According to the student paper, Welsh became extremely popular and spurned the advances of the men on campus.
—Patrick Salland, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
In a case of serious schadenfreude, the player left on the Carolina trash heap earned most outstanding player honors, courtesy of 19 points, two assists and one turnover, on the same day that his old school finally found a new head coach – having been spurned by, among others, his current coach.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026
Ukraine retaliated after Russia spurned Kyiv’s ceasefire offer earlier in the week, with President Zelensky accusing Moscow of ignoring goodwill gestures and continuing all military operations against civilians.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
In a flurry of rapid-fire votes, most Senate Republicans spurned a group of measures Democrats said would lower everyday costs for Americans while separately moving to approve $70 billion for immigration enforcement.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
However, four of the signatories spurned the agreement and resumed fighting after the 2021 army takeover.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The two women haven’t spoken in 10 years when Mother Mary shows up on Sam Anselm’s doorstep with sad eyes and stringy hair, like a lost dog who got caught in the rain, and her spurned BFF leaps at the chance to make the most of her leverage.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Hiller spurned Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee to join a program in need of talent up front during first-year head coach Jon Sumrall’s rebuild.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
According to the student paper, Welsh became extremely popular and spurned the advances of the men on campus.
—Patrick Salland, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
In a case of serious schadenfreude, the player left on the Carolina trash heap earned most outstanding player honors, courtesy of 19 points, two assists and one turnover, on the same day that his old school finally found a new head coach – having been spurned by, among others, his current coach.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurned
Verb
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The comments came two weeks after the House rejected DeSantis’ push to pass bills to expand vaccine exemptions for children entering public schools and to install consumer-friendly regulations on artificial intelligence products and companies.—
Gray Rohrer,
Sun Sentinel,
15 May 2026
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Bianco launched a voter‑fraud investigation after a local group claimed the county counted roughly 46,000 more ballots than were received, a claim election officials rejected.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
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California officials have flatly refused.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Since 2008, Medicare has refused to reimburse hospitals for the additional cost of treating many infections that develop after admission.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Yolo County’s homeless population declined slightly over the past two years, but nearly two-thirds of the people counted in January were living outdoors as county leaders considered millions of dollars in cuts to the services many rely on.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
16 May 2026
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Nearby homeowner Mike, who declined to provide his last name and lost his home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire, said the changing weather is a reminder of how quickly fire danger can escalate.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The state dashboard and local improvement plans Brown touted are singled out for criticism in the report, essentially validating concerns that reformers had voiced but were ignored.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
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In an April statement, the union said the company ignored its March 18 letter and several requests by phone, asking to lift the lockout and allow members to return to work while negotiations continue.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurned. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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