spurned

American  

[spurnd] / spɜrnd /

adjective

1. treated or rejected with scorn or contempt.

   It should be instructive to us that some of the spurned recommendations were very effective when belatedly implemented years after they were made.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of spurn.

Other Word Forms

• unspurned
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of spurned

spurn ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Someone who's spurned has been abandoned or rejected, usually by a romantic interest. If your significant other breaks up with you unexpectedly, you might feel spurned. It's not easy to be a spurned lover, since the adjective implies total rejection by someone you love. A spurned groom, for example, might wait at the church on his wedding day for a bride who never shows up. The Old English root word of spurned makes this rejection pretty clear: spurnan means "to kick away, reject, scorn, or despise."

Example Sentences

Spurned by its mother, Punch was raised in an artificial environment after being born in July, and began training to rejoin his troop earlier this year.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

Spurned lovers, angry spouses, and jealous partners also weaponized that law for their own purposes.

From Slate • Sep. 5, 2025

Spurned by Rivian, GM turned its attention to two far shakier startups Shortly after that, GM announced a deal with hydrogen electric trucking startup Nikola, which had a pickup truck project of its own.

From The Verge • Sep. 19, 2021

Spurned, and still intent on rousing her, Léonce manufactures a fever for their sleeping son.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2020

Lo! while he pauses, and admires The works of nature's might, Spurned by my foot, his world expires, And all to him is night!

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 20, No. 581, December 15, 1832 by Various

Related Words

• decayed
• deserted
• ignored
• overlooked
• undervalued
• unused
• unwanted