rejected
Refused and dismissed
Rejected describes something or someone that has been refused, dismissed, or turned away.
A rejected manuscript didn't find a publisher.
A rejected suitor was turned down romantically.
A rejected organ is attacked by the recipient's immune system.
The word often carries emotional weight—feeling rejected implies not just refusal but a blow to self-worth: He felt rejected after they excluded him from the group.
Declined to accept
- deniedRefused or disavowed
- turned downRefused or rejected
- vetoedAuthoritatively rejected legislation
- spurnedRejected with contempt
rebuffed · dismissed · nixed · disallowed · repudiated · overruled · countermanded · nonaccepted
Excluded from a group
- shunnedPersistently avoided socially
- blackballedRejected by anonymous vote
- banishedForced to leave permanently
- expelledOfficially removed or banished
outcast · pariah · excommunicated · exiled · marginalized · alienated · isolated · boycotted
Completely abandoned or discarded
- desertedLeft behind, uninhabited
- neglectedNot given proper attention
- forgottenNo longer recalled
- discardedGotten rid of
cast aside · jilted · dumped · ditched · left behind · thrown over · stranded · marooned
Not achieving desired outcome
- failedDid not succeed
- deniedRefused or disavowed
- unacceptedNot taken or approved
- returnedWent back again
bounced · disqualified · eliminated · cut · passed over · overlooked · bypassed · snubbed
Gotten rid of
- surplusAmount exceeding requirement
- unwantedNot wished for
- castoffDiscarded item or person
- throwawayDesigned for discard
secondhand · returned · defective · flawed · imperfect · substandard · inferior · undesirable
Expressed disapproval of
- scornedRegarded with contempt
- condemnedOfficially declared unfit
- censuredFormally disapproved of
- denouncedPublicly accused or condemned
rebuked · reproved · reprimanded · disparaged · derided · ridiculed · mocked · frowned upon
refused
Declined to accept
- deniedRefused or disavowed
- turned downRefused or rejected
- vetoedAuthoritatively rejected legislation
spurned · rebuffed · dismissed · nixed · disallowed · repudiated · overruled · countermanded · nonaccepted · pass
ostracized
Excluded from a group
- shunnedPersistently avoided socially
- blackballedRejected by anonymous vote
- banishedForced to leave permanently
expelled · outcast · pariah · excommunicated · exiled · marginalized · alienated · isolated · boycotted · disowned
forsaken
Completely abandoned or discarded
discarded · cast aside · jilted · dumped · ditched · left behind · thrown over · stranded · marooned · orphaned
unsuccessful
Not achieving desired outcome
- failedDid not succeed
- deniedRefused or disavowed
- unacceptedNot taken or approved
returned · bounced · disqualified · eliminated · cut · passed over · overlooked · bypassed · snubbed · not selected
discarded
Gotten rid of
throwaway · secondhand · returned · defective · flawed · imperfect · substandard · inferior · undesirable · unacceptable
criticized
Expressed disapproval of
denounced · rebuked · reproved · reprimanded · disparaged · derided · ridiculed · mocked · frowned upon · thumbed down
- Forbiddenforbidden, prohibited, banned, not allowed, off-limits
- outdatedobsolete, outdated, out of date, dated, outmoded
- refusalsno, decline, no thanks, refuse, nope
- selection statusselected, unselected, chosen, unchosen, picked
- Self-Pitywoe is me, why me, nobody cares, story of my life, taken for granted
- statusespending, active, approved, inactive, completed
- fear of rejectionDread of being refused
- rejection letterWritten refusal notice
- organ rejectionBody fighting foreign tissue
- social rejectionExclusion by one's peers
- transplant rejectionImmune attack on implanted tissue
- rejection slipWritten refusal from publisher