refusals

noun

plural of refusal
as in rejections
an unwillingness to grant something asked for his flat refusal of our reasonable request was rather startling

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 refusals Some shared their own workarounds for the AI’s refusals — which included just using another model, like Claude or Gemini. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 July 2026 The models ran with reduced cyber refusals, and the evaluation omitted the production classifiers that normally block high-risk cyber activity. — Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Despite president Florentino Perez and general manager Jose Angel Sanchez’s refusals to sign him in recent months, this change of heart among Madrid’s key figures was something the supporters had been calling for. — David Ornstein, New York Times, 24 July 2026 The models were tested with reduced cyber refusals, allowing researchers to measure their maximum capabilities without the production safeguards normally designed to block high-risk cyber activity. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026 The performance lives in tiny hesitations, fleeting glances and emotional refusals. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026 The Iraqi News Agency also reported that officials had denied the claim, citing the Iraqi Football Association as saying reports of visa refusals were inaccurate. — Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2026 Judge Panici, visibly frustrated with Talley’s refusals to answer his questions, ordered Talley held in custody until then. — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026 After three years of refusals, Kalshi finally sued the regulatory agency and won — just in time for the 2024 presidential election. — Kelli María Korducki, thehustle.co, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refusals
  1. rejections
  2. denials
Noun
  • Though Flock has its cameras in over 5,000 US cities as of July 2026, the rise in rejections at the municipal level comes amidst a tidal wave of outrage around issues of privacy and civil rights.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026
  • But immigration experts and lawyers said the move will likely be used to streamline asylum rejections and subsequent deportations.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of rejections
Noun
  • The offending text directed any AI system reviewing the document to ensure textual outputs agreed with the plaintiff’s arguments, ignored prior denials from the court, and ensured that remediation would follow as the plaintiff desired.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Stricter and more expansive work requirements increase SNAP benefit denials and reduce the number of people who get benefits, including among women who may become pregnant.
    — Amelia B. Finaret, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of denials

Browse Nearby Words

refusal
refusals
refuse
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Refusals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusals. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on refusals

Nglish: Translation of refusals 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All