as in rejection
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
his flat refusal of our reasonable request was rather startling
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Recent Examples of refusal
Both environments questioned whether performance necessarily requires an embodied performer, and involved a certain refusal of the figure that has carried the artist’s interest for years.
—
Ellen Y. Tani, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2024
In September 2021, Blinken’s refusal to waive those requirements—which caused $130 million in military aid to be withheld—was seen as a potential indication of its seriousness about human rights and its intention to break with the Trump administration’s leniency.
—Michael Wahid Hanna, Foreign Affairs, 26 Nov. 2024
This reaction to the carbon—which bears zero resemblance to anything Doxa did before, or to anything from the 20th century—suggests that what’s motivating negative reactions to Doxa’s use of mother-of-pearl and diamonds on smaller model could be a refusal to accept traditionally feminine tropes.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2024
But that read of things understates her sheer force of will—her outright refusal, as with the Oscars dress, to ever be counted out.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for refusal 
Ellen Y. Tani, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2024
In September 2021, Blinken’s refusal to waive those requirements—which caused $130 million in military aid to be withheld—was seen as a potential indication of its seriousness about human rights and its intention to break with the Trump administration’s leniency.
—Michael Wahid Hanna, Foreign Affairs, 26 Nov. 2024
This reaction to the carbon—which bears zero resemblance to anything Doxa did before, or to anything from the 20th century—suggests that what’s motivating negative reactions to Doxa’s use of mother-of-pearl and diamonds on smaller model could be a refusal to accept traditionally feminine tropes.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2024
But that read of things understates her sheer force of will—her outright refusal, as with the Oscars dress, to ever be counted out.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for refusal
Thesaurus Entries Near refusal
Cite this Entry
“Refusal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusal. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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