SPURN Synonyms: 126 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'spurn' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of spurn are decline , refuse , reject , and repudiate . While all these words mean "to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering," spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation. // spurned his overtures of friendship

Q: Where would 'decline' be a reasonable alternative to 'spurn'?

In some situations, the words decline and spurn are roughly equivalent. However, decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations. // declined his party's nomination

Q: When could 'refuse' be used to replace 'spurn'?

The words refuse and spurn are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for. // refused to lend them the money

Q: When would 'reject' be a good substitute for 'spurn'?

The synonyms reject and spurn are sometimes interchangeable, but reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding. // rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

Q: When might 'repudiate' be a better fit than 'spurn'?

The meanings of repudiate and spurn largely overlap; however, repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance. // teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

spurn 1 of 2

verb

ˈspərn

Definition of spurn next

as in to refuse

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to fiercely independent, the elderly couple spurned all offers of financial help

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

spurn

2 of 2

noun

as in refusal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of spurn are decline, refuse, reject, and repudiate. While all these words mean "to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering," spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Where would decline be a reasonable alternative to spurn?

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

declined his party's nomination

When could refuse be used to replace spurn?

The words refuse and spurn are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

When would reject be a good substitute for spurn?

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

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

When might repudiate be a better fit than spurn?

The meanings of repudiate and spurn largely overlap; however, repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

Examples 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 spurn

Verb

The Mets Have Done This Before Brandon Nimmo in 2022 and Yoenis Cespedes in 2016 spurned the Mets to test the market, then came back. —

Chuck Murr, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024 The meeting marks the latest trek by tech executives to Trump's home in South Florida to appeal to the incoming administration, including Silicon Valley titans who spurned Trump in his last term. —

Marianne Levine and Meryl Kornfield The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 20 Dec. 2024 Honda, founded in 1948, has long pursued a go-it-alone approach, developing components like engines on its own and spurning globe-spanning alliances. —

River Akira Davis, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2024 Since the current qualifying-offer procedure was implemented in 2012, a total of 144 players spurned the one-year proposal from their teams. —

Chuck Murr, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for spurn

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurn

Verb

With security vulnerabilities already confirmed for billions of Android users along with an ongoing and hard-to-detect cyberattack, Gmail users warned do not click and Google refusing to fix a reported vulnerability, 2025 has got off to a shocking start.

Davey Winder, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Trump initially refused to approve federal aid to California for wildfires in 2018 until a National Security Council staffer showed him that Orange County had a dense concentration of voters who supported him, according to Politico.

Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025