reject
1 of 2verb
re·ject ri-ˈjekt 
rejected; rejecting; rejects
transitive verb
1
a
: to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use
rejected the suggestion
reject a manuscript
b
: to refuse to hear, receive, or admit : rebuff, repel
parents who reject their children
c
: to refuse as lover or spouse
2
obsolete : to cast off
3
: throw back, repulse
4
: to spew out
5
: to subject to immunological rejection
rejecter noun
or rejector
ri-ˈjek-tər
rejectingly
ri-ˈjek-tiŋ-lē
adverb rejective
ri-ˈjek-tiv
adjective reject
2 of 2noun
re·ject ˈrē-ˌjekt
: a rejected person or thing
especially : one rejected as not wanted, unsatisfactory, or not fulfilling requirements
Synonyms
Verb
- decline
- deny
- disallow
- disapprove
- negative
- nix
- refuse
- reprobate
- withhold
Noun
- castaway
- castoff
- leper
- offscouring
- outcast
- pariah
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb My teacher rejected my excuse for being late. The committee rejected my proposal. The produce inspector rejected several crates of berries that had begun to grow mold. The college rejects hundreds of applicants each year. We rejected 5 of the 10 job applicants right away. Noun Stack the promising applications here, and put the rejects over there. was the school reject as a child and has low self-esteem even today See More
Recent Examples on the Web
WIRED, 15 Sep. 2022 Republicans frequently complain that conservative voices are censored on the internet, a charge that the big tech companies—and Democrats—generally reject. John D. Mckinnon, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 First Nations groups in British Columbia called on the new king to reject the Doctrine of Discovery, a 15th-century Catholic doctrine also used by Britain to claim land in North America. Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Sep. 2022 While two Marines stood at attention behind him, Biden called on the nation to reject political extremism, warning America that democracy was under assault. Sabrina Haake, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022 The Commission could have scheduled a vote to approve or reject on the expansion proposal after the public hearing, but that will not happen now. Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 9 Sep. 2022 Last week, an official for the National Labor Relations Board recommended, however, that the agency reject Amazon’s objections. Colin Lodewick, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Attorneys for the clinics and the doctor are asking the Supreme Court to vacate the stay and reject the appeals court’s decision on the underlying temporary injunction. Jim Saunders, Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022 One of the major debates about the Affordable Care Act from a decade ago was whether states would accept or reject federal incentives to expand Medicaid eligibility. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2022 New York Times, 11 July 2022 Those who serve in Congress must be wary of, and reject, proposals that would further politicize the Court and add to the decline in the public’s trust in it. Anchorage Daily News, 7 Aug. 2022 Hite said the reverse-osmosis plant, which is diesel-powered, also uses the high-pressure reject water to help turn its pump, enabling it to use a smaller motor and reduce electrical consumption. Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022 Recent polls show that the reject option is leading approval by 10 points. Axel Kaiser, WSJ, 27 July 2022 The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has tried in the past to rinse away the fish’s reputation as a dirty kitchen-reject. John Flesher, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2022 The latest hearing on Thursday zeroed in on the intense pressure Trump and others heaped on then-Vice President Mike Pence to single-handedly reject state electors and block the congressional certification of Biden’s win. Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 17 June 2022 The best approach to global warming, these opponents argued, was to tighten borders, reject immigrants, and prepare individually for civilization’s collapse. Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 May 2022 That put her just below Chief Justice John Roberts’s rating in 2005, when his confirm/reject numbers were 59% to 22%, respectively. WSJ, 23 Mar. 2022 See More
Verb
Nathan Pumplin, president and CEO of Norfolk Healthy Produce, the US arm of Norfolk Plant Sciences that will commercialize the product, is very aware that a large segment of consumers may reject the purple tomato. WIRED, 15 Sep. 2022 Republicans frequently complain that conservative voices are censored on the internet, a charge that the big tech companies—and Democrats—generally reject. John D. Mckinnon, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 First Nations groups in British Columbia called on the new king to reject the Doctrine of Discovery, a 15th-century Catholic doctrine also used by Britain to claim land in North America. Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Sep. 2022 While two Marines stood at attention behind him, Biden called on the nation to reject political extremism, warning America that democracy was under assault. Sabrina Haake, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022 The Commission could have scheduled a vote to approve or reject on the expansion proposal after the public hearing, but that will not happen now. Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 9 Sep. 2022 Last week, an official for the National Labor Relations Board recommended, however, that the agency reject Amazon’s objections. Colin Lodewick, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Attorneys for the clinics and the doctor are asking the Supreme Court to vacate the stay and reject the appeals court’s decision on the underlying temporary injunction. Jim Saunders, Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022 One of the major debates about the Affordable Care Act from a decade ago was whether states would accept or reject federal incentives to expand Medicaid eligibility. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2022 Noun
As a general principle, the Baduy reject vaccinations, although some have reluctantly accepted them in order to travel outside the area. New York Times, 11 July 2022 Those who serve in Congress must be wary of, and reject, proposals that would further politicize the Court and add to the decline in the public’s trust in it. Anchorage Daily News, 7 Aug. 2022 Hite said the reverse-osmosis plant, which is diesel-powered, also uses the high-pressure reject water to help turn its pump, enabling it to use a smaller motor and reduce electrical consumption. Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022 Recent polls show that the reject option is leading approval by 10 points. Axel Kaiser, WSJ, 27 July 2022 The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has tried in the past to rinse away the fish’s reputation as a dirty kitchen-reject. John Flesher, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2022 The latest hearing on Thursday zeroed in on the intense pressure Trump and others heaped on then-Vice President Mike Pence to single-handedly reject state electors and block the congressional certification of Biden’s win. Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 17 June 2022 The best approach to global warming, these opponents argued, was to tighten borders, reject immigrants, and prepare individually for civilization’s collapse. Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 May 2022 That put her just below Chief Justice John Roberts’s rating in 2005, when his confirm/reject numbers were 59% to 22%, respectively. WSJ, 23 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Latin rejectus, past participle of reicere, from re- + jacere to throw — more at jet
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
circa 1555, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
reject 1 of 2
verb
re·ject ri-ˈjekt
rejected; rejecting
: to refuse to accept, believe, or consider
Dad rejected my excuse.
He rejected their offer.
reject
2 of 2noun
re·ject ˈrē-ˌjekt
: a person or thing not accepted as good enough for some purpose
Medical Definition
reject
transitive verb
re·ject ri-ˈjekt
1
: to rebuff, repel, refuse to hear, or withhold love from
especially : to communicate negative feelings toward and a wish to be free of
parents who reject their children
2
: to subject to immunological rejection
rejected a heart transplant
Legal Definition
reject
transitive verb
re·ject ri-ˈjekt
: to refuse to accept, acknowledge, or grant compare revoke
reject 1 of 2
verb
1
as in to refuse
to be unwilling to grant rejected his request for time off Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- refuse
- deny
- decline
- disapprove
- disallow
- withhold
- spurn
- forbid
- negative
- nix
- veto
- reprobate
- restrict
- prohibit
- rebuff
- proscribe
- ban
- enjoin
- keep
- restrain
- repel
- check
- constrain
- hold
- curb
- repress
- hinder
- obstruct
- impede
- balk (at)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- concede
- permit
- let
- allow
- grant
- provide
- okay
- give
- afford
- furnish
- authorize
- supply
- acquiesce
- agree (to)
- license
- OK
- commission
- warrant
- accede (to)
- consent (to)
- sanction
- assent (to)
- vouchsafe
- licence
- accord
2
as in to deny
to declare not to be true I reject the claim that I have ever lied about that Synonyms & Similar Words
- deny
- refute
- contradict
- disavow
- disallow
- disown
- repudiate
- disaffirm
- negate
- disclaim
- gainsay
- disconfirm
- disprove
- negative
- traverse
- confute
- rebut
- challenge
- dispute
- disagree (with)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- accept
- acknowledge
- allow
- confirm
- admit
- concede
- adopt
- own
- embrace
- submit
- affirm
- claim
- declare
- assert
- maintain
- avow
- announce
- verify
- validate
- profess
- espouse
- substantiate
- aver
- corroborate
- authenticate
3
as in to discard
to get rid of as useless or unwanted sorted through the nuts and rejected any that had cracked shells or were shattered Synonyms & Similar Words
- discard
- dump
- ditch
- unload
- lose
- abandon
- scrap
- jettison
- remove
- dismiss
- toss
- junk
- chuck
- shed
- eliminate
- exorcise
- throw away
- set aside
- dispose of
- throw out
- lay by
- forsake
- cashier
- exorcize
- sluff (off)
- deep-six
- abolish
- abdicate
- slough (off)
- pitch
- shuck (off)
- eradicate
- fling (off or away)
- cast (off)
- desert
- 86
- eighty-six
- kick out
- expunge
- annihilate
- exterminate
- wipe out
- extirpate
- extinguish
- liquidate
- stamp (out)
- root (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- adopt
- embrace
- use
- employ
- utilize
- take on
- retain
- hold
- keep
- hold back
4
as in to decline
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to rejected his marriage proposal Synonyms & Similar Words
- refuse
- decline
- ignore
- deny
- spurn
- deny
- dismiss
- disapprove
- repudiate
- withdraw
- avoid
- pass
- veto
- dispute
- deselect
- pass up
- forbid
- dispute
- turn down
- negative
- nix
- throw over
- reprobate
- throw out
- overrule
- rebuff
- renounce
- balk (at)
- disdain
- prohibit
- disavow
- proscribe
- refute
- scorn
- revoke
- retract
- contradict
- scout
- blow off
- turn one's back on
- disclaim
- disown
- abjure
- gainsay
- forswear
- forbear
- recant
- disprove
- shoot down
- bypass
- negate
- disallow
- recall
- stick
- controvert
- rebut
- take back
- renege
- foreswear
- unsay
- back down
- detour
- backtrack
- abstain (from)
- refrain (from)
- back off
- disagree (with)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- accept
- approve
- agree (to)
- tolerate
- receive
- adopt
- embrace
- swallow
- take
- condone
- agree
- acquiesce
- welcome
- choose
- accede
- select
- countenance
- consent
- assent
- support
- espouse
- handpick
reject
2 of 2noun
1
as in outcast
one who is cast out or rejected by society was the school reject as a child and has low self-esteem even today Synonyms & Similar Words
- outcast
- castaway
- castoff
- untouchable
- pariah
- leper
- outsider
- exile
- offscouring
- deportee
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- insider
2
as in discard
something separated from a group or lot for not being as good as the others that apple has a mushy spot on it, so it's a reject Synonyms & Similar Words
- discard
- rejection
- cull
- second
- rubbish
- trash
- scrap
- throwaway
- waste
- castaway
- white elephant
- hand-me-down
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of reject are decline, refuse, repudiate, and spurn. While all these words mean "to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering," reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.
rejected the manuscript as unpublishable
While in some cases nearly identical to reject, decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.
declined his party's nomination
The words refuse and reject 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
The meanings of repudiate and reject 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
Although the words spurn and reject have much in common, spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.
spurned his overtures of friendship