rejecting

Saying no to

Rejecting is the act of refusing, dismissing, or declining to accept something or someone.

A body may be rejecting a transplanted organ.

A person may be rejecting an offer, an idea, or a suitor: She's rejecting every candidate we put forward.

The word often carries emotional weight—being rejected stings more than simply being turned down.

spurning

spurn

Refuse with contempt

scornHostile dismissive feeling
disdainScornful disregard
snubDeliberate dismissive rejection

rebuff · shun · slight · contemn · jilt · forsake

denial

refuse

Reject or garbage

denyRefuse to admit
declineDecrease or refuse
vetoOfficial refusal to approve

rebuff · repudiate · disavow · disclaim · renounce · rebut · refute · contradict · negate · disallow

resistance

resist

Oppose or refuse compliance

opposeAct against something
defyResist or challenge openly
withstandRemain intact despite pressure

refuse · rebuff · repel · balk · protest · object · dissent · noncompliance · noncooperation · obstruct

exclusion

exclude

Bar from participation

banOfficial restriction on something
barDrinking establishment
blackballExclude by negative vote

ostracize · excommunicate · boycott · banish · expel · proscribe · outlaw · debar · blacklist · block

dismissal

dismiss

Send away or reject

disregardWillful lack of attention
ignoreRefuse to notice
overlookMiss or commanding view

neglect · discard · discount

Categories

interactionstalking, sharing, greeting, helping, listening
verbal responsesreplying, responding, retorting, confirming, denying
repudiatingrenouncing, disclaiming, disavowing, disowning, denying
abstinencesobriety, celibacy, chastity, teetotalism, fasting
rejection wordsrebuffed, spurned, snubbed, refused, excluded
showing disapprovalbooing, hissing, jeering, frowning, scowling

Opposites

acceptance/refusal

rejectingaccepting

Willing to receive

embracing · receiving · taking · admitting · welcoming

approval/disapproval

rejectingapproving

Expressing favorable judgment

endorsing · sanctioning · ratifying · validating · affirming

Phrases

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

Family

rejection, rejections

Familiarity: Top 20,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G