Synonyms of refuse

refuse 1 of 3

verb

ri-ˈfyüz 

1

as in to deny

to be unwilling to grant

the reclusive movie star usually refuses requests for interviews

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deny
• reject
• decline
• withhold
• disallow
• disapprove
• forbid
• negative
• prohibit
• keep
• restrict
• veto
• proscribe
• nix
• enjoin
• ban
• reprobate
• restrain
• spurn
• check
• hold
• repel
• constrain
• impede
• repress
• curb
• hinder
• obstruct
• rebuff
• balk (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• let
• permit
• allow
• provide
• afford
• concede
• grant
• give
• okay
• furnish
• supply
• OK
• authorize
• license
• acquiesce
• agree (to)
• warrant
• commission
• consent (to)
• accede (to)
• assent (to)
• sanction
• licence
• accord
• vouchsafe

2

as in to reject

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to

she refused the award, citing the hard work of others who deserved the recognition more than she did

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reject
• decline
• ignore
• deny
• pass
• dismiss
• spurn
• avoid
• forbid
• withdraw
• veto
• disapprove
• repudiate
• dispute
• pass up
• turn down
• deselect
• balk (at)
• throw over
• throw out
• negative
• nix
• prohibit
• reprobate
• renounce
• overrule
• revoke
• proscribe
• retract
• rebuff
• disdain
• forbear
• turn one's back on
• disavow
• disclaim
• recall
• scorn
• scout
• refrain (from)
• recant
• refute
• gainsay
• foreswear
• contradict
• forswear
• blow off
• stick
• abjure
• disown
• take back
• shoot down
• abstain (from)
• controvert
• disprove
• bypass
• disallow
• rebut
• negate
• renege
• disagree (with)
• unsay
• backtrack
• detour
• back down
• back off

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accept
• approve
• agree (to)
• receive
• tolerate
• take
• adopt
• swallow
• embrace
• condone
• agree
• welcome
• choose
• acquiesce
• accede
• consent
• select
• countenance
• assent
• support
• espouse
• handpick

refuse

2 of 3

noun

ˈre-ˌfyüs 

as in garbage

discarded or useless material

refuse had littered the playground until our volunteer group cleaned it up

Synonyms & Similar Words

• garbage
• debris
• trash
• rubbish
• dust
• junk
• truck
• litter
• sewage
• rubble
• waste
• scrap
• offal
• raffle
• chaff
• dross
• effluvia
• deadwood
• riffraff
• wash
• drek
• effluvium
• offscouring
• spilth
• reject
• wreckage
• lumber
• dreck
• ruins
• discard
• dump
• remains
• swill
• scrap heap
• detritus
• nothing
• crud
• cull
• odds and ends
• trumpery
• straw
• slop
• flotsam
• two bits
• jetsam
• castoff
• throwaway
• hand-me-down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• catch
• find
• prize
• treasure
• treasure trove
• plum
• pearl
• gem
• jewel
• trove
• salvage
• goodie
• valuable
• goody
• booty

refuse

3 of 3

adjective

as in discarded

Synonyms & Similar Words

• discarded
• ignored
• waste
• neglected
• junked
• rejected
• unattended
• jettisoned
• untended
• cast-off
• forgotten
• deserted
• shabby
• forsaken
• castaway
• vacated
• abandoned
• miserable
• godforsaken
• vacant
• disused
• void
• derelict
• idle
• wretched
• desolate
• empty

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• saved
• recovered
• redeemed
• reclaimed
• salvaged
• retrieved
• restored
• rescued
• reconditioned
• rehabilitated
• rehabbed
• repeopled

Synonym Chooser

How is the word refuse different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of refuse are decline, reject, repudiate, and spurn. While all these words mean "to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering," refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

In what contexts can decline take the place of refuse?

In some situations, the words decline and refuse are roughly equivalent. However, decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

When is reject a more appropriate choice than refuse?

The synonyms reject and refuse are sometimes interchangeable, but reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

When can repudiate be used instead of refuse?

The words repudiate and refuse can be used in similar contexts, but repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

When could spurn be used to replace refuse?

Although the words spurn and refuse have much in common, spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of refuse

Verb

War began after Assad’s regime refused to bow to mass pro-democracy protests that year during the Arab Spring, instead mounting a brutal crackdown on the peaceful movement – killing and jailing thousands in the first few months alone. —Simone McCarthy, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024

The water crisis has enabled a lot of us to think differently, to refuse the status quo, to not be OK with how things are, but to reimagine how things can be, and not to just think about it, but put it into play. —Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 8 Dec. 2024

Noun

As the waters fell, thick layers of mud mixed with refuse made streets unrecognizable. —Joseph Wilson and Teresa Medrano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

What was once a clean ocean in the women’s youth is now an underwater desert of bleached coral and dwindling flora, ravaged by climate change and battered by floating refuse from China, Japan, and the mainland. —Geoffrey Bunting, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Cement mixers, roll-off and dump trucks, which all share a common architecture, will be built first, followed by refuse trucks and terminal tractors. —Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 7 Dec. 2023

Everything is tightly regulated in Rwanda, from refuse management to social organization. —Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2023