noun
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the act or an instance of refusing
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the opportunity to reject or accept; option
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of refusal
First recorded in 1425–75, refusal is from the late Middle English word refusell. See refuse 1, -al 2
Explanation
A refusal is when you absolutely won't do something. A little kid's refusal to eat his broccoli might result in his mother's refusal to take him out for ice cream after dinner. When something is refused, or a person refuses to do something, it's a refusal. There's a stubborn quality to the word refusal, like a defiant child who won't be swayed. There is a legal term called the "right of first refusal," which gives a person an opportunity to buy or do something first, before anyone else has a chance, or to refuse the opportunity. The Latin root word is refundere, "pour back or give back."
Vocabulary lists containing refusal
"The First Day of School," Vocabulary from the short story
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Catching Fire
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poems about parents
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The 26-year-old is caught between his desire to leave Atletico and the club's refusal to sell him to Barcelona.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
With inflation remaining stubbornly high -- largely on the back of elevated energy costs -- the US central bank has come under pressure to act, and Warsh's refusal to provide guidance has stoked uncertainty.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
Her refusal to de-emphasize her Tennessee accent or downplay her assets endeared her to a wide audience, along with her unsinkable pride in her country roots.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
It’s about soaring national debts, coupled with a refusal to admit that there is any limit to the amount that can be borrowed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
I don’t know why I’d been surprised by Elliot’s flat-out refusal to help, but somehow his words had still cut.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Since October, almost 80 million entries and exits have been registered, with 35,000 refusals of entry recorded.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
While asylum claims in Britain reached a record high, the number of refusals surged, and approvals at the initial stage climbed slightly in 2025 compared to 2024.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
“Life is not a continuous line from the cradle to the grave,” as we read in “Consider the Consequences,” but instead a convoluted series of choices and refusals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
The successive refusals will leave the restraining order in place while the case against state officials works its way through the courts.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2025
They talk, but only to make ill-tempered demands and cold refusals.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
