as in rejection
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
his flat refusal of our reasonable request was rather startling
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Examples of refusal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The premise relied on Trump’s refusal to debate Harris for a second time, so the show teased a reality game show option.
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Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Oct. 2024
The fight would relaunch Ali into the boxing stratosphere following his blacklisting over his refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
In his closing statement, Gallego said Lake’s refusal to be direct on the election demonstrated a clear danger.
—Cheyenne Haslett, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2024
The temporary suspension of access to X had been determined by the Supreme Court itself in the face of the platform’s refusal to comply with judicial decisions.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for refusal 
Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Oct. 2024
The fight would relaunch Ali into the boxing stratosphere following his blacklisting over his refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
In his closing statement, Gallego said Lake’s refusal to be direct on the election demonstrated a clear danger.
—Cheyenne Haslett, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2024
The temporary suspension of access to X had been determined by the Supreme Court itself in the face of the platform’s refusal to comply with judicial decisions.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for refusal
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'refusal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Refusal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refusal. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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