refuse synonyms

refuse

n.

rubbish, litter, waste, leavings; see trash 1, 3.

refuse

v.

decline, reject, repudiate, deny, spurn, resist, repel, scorn, pass up, disallow, forbid, have no plans to, not anticipate, demur, protest, withdraw, hold back, withhold, shun, evade, dodge, ignore, turn down, turn from, recoil, balk, beg to be excused, send regrets, beg off, make one's excuses, regret, send off, not budge, cut out of the budget, not budget, not care to, refuse to receive, dispense with, not be at home to, disaccord with, dissent, say no, make excuses, disapprove, set aside, turn away, brush off*, not buy*, turn thumbs down*, hold out*, hold off*, turn one's back on*, turn a deaf ear to*; see also deny.

Antonyms allow*, admit*, consent.

refuse is a direct, sometimes even blunt term, implying an emphatic denial of a request, demand, etc. to refuse a person money, to refuse permission; decline implies courtesy in expressing one's nonacceptance of an invitation, proposal, etc. he declined the nomination; reject stresses a negative or antagonistic attitude and implies positive refusal to accept, use, believe, etc. they rejected the damaged goods; repudiate implies the disowning, disavowal, or casting off with condemnation of a person or thing as having no authority, worth, validity, truth, etc. to repudiate the claims of faith healers; to spurn is to refuse or reject with contempt or disdain she spurned his attentions

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.