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:
Tan alleged in his civil complaint that the refusal was a highly unusual move given how closely police and prosecutors typically work together on criminal cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
OpenAI, the owner the ChatGPT chatbot, lost Wednesday its appeal against the EU's refusal to register its name as a trademark.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Meanwhile Ofcom is involved in an ongoing dispute with online message board 4chan over its refusal to pay a £520,000 fine.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The chief of detectives, Louis Cottell, for his part, made no effort to hide how flummoxed he was by the killer’s refusal to take credit.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
It was the largest refusal of a prize fund in sports history.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach sued the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office in 2024 over refusals to comply with a whistleblower complaint subpoena.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 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
My own answers varied, depending on my current hangups, that's what Rudy called my refusals, hangups.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
