Synonyms of refusal

refusal

noun

ri-ˈfyü-zəl 

as in rejection

an unwillingness to grant something asked for

his flat refusal of our reasonable request was rather startling

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rejection
• denial
• nonacceptance
• no
• declination
• nay
• disallowance
• rebuff
• injunction
• veto
• turndown
• repudiation
• repulse
• suppression
• spurn
• ban
• repression
• discouragement
• deterrence
• negative

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• approval
• grant
• allowance
• consent
• agreement
• permission
• acceptance
• sanction
• license
• authorization
• assent
• leave
• clearance
• accession
• acquiescence
• concurrence
• OK
• signature
• seal
• stamp
• sufferance
• imprimatur

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of refusal

Shapiro’s political identity is built on the refusal to condemn a whole sector when the problem is a subset of it. — Salena Zito, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026

During an internal cyber evaluation, OpenAI models operating with reduced cyber refusals were given no direct internet access. — Bob Ackerman, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

One is reminded of Toni Morrison, whose refusal to pander to the dominant gaze — whose insistence on writing about Black characters without regard for whoever else might be reading — unlocked its own kind of universality. — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Almost as alarming as the incidents themselves has been the government’s refusal to acknowledge a pattern of abuse that is clearly metastasizing at the Department of Homeland Security. — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026