reject

American  

[ri-jekt, ree-jekt] / rɪˈdʒɛkt, ˈri dʒɛkt /

verb (used with object)

1. to refuse to have, take, recognize, etc..

   to reject the offer of a better job.

   Synonyms:

   deny

2. to refuse to grant (a request, demand, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   deny

3. to refuse to accept (someone or something); rebuff.

   The other children rejected him. The publisher rejected the author's latest novel.

   Synonyms:

   renounce, repel

4. to discard as useless or unsatisfactory.

   The mind rejects painful memories.

   Synonyms:

   jettison, eliminate

5. to cast out or eject; vomit.

6. to cast out or off.

7. Medicine/Medical. (of a human or other animal) to have an immunological reaction against (a transplanted organ or grafted tissue).

   If tissue types are not matched properly, a patient undergoing a transplant will reject the graft.

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noun

1. something rejected, as an imperfect article.

   Synonyms:

   second

reject British  

verb

1. to refuse to accept, acknowledge, use, believe, etc

2. to throw out as useless or worthless; discard

3. to rebuff (a person)

4. (of an organism) to fail to accept (a foreign tissue graft or organ transplant) because of immunological incompatibility

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noun

1. something rejected as imperfect, unsatisfactory, or useless

Related Words

See refuse ¹.

Other Word Forms

• prereject verb (used with object)
• quasi-rejected adjective
• rejectable adjective
• rejecter noun
• rejection noun
• rejective adjective
• unrejectable adjective
• unrejected adjective
• unrejective adjective

Etymology

Origin of reject

First recorded in 1485–95; (verb) from Latin rējectus, past participle of rējicere “to throw back,” equivalent to re- re- + jec-, combining form of jacere “to throw” + -tus past participle suffix

Example Sentences

Mourning ceremonies—traditionally solemn events held 40 days after someone’s death—have become occasions for Iranians to celebrate the sacrifice of their loved ones and reject the Islamic Republic.

From The Wall Street Journal

Separately, a federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected an emergency motion by Kalshi that would have allowed it to keep doing business in Nevada while its own case against the state is litigated.

From The Wall Street Journal

In his first term, his trade team had rejected that path as too risky legally and politically.

From The Wall Street Journal

Charged over the award of infrastructure contracts, Balluku has rejected the accusations by prosecutors.

From Barron's

“We can study and appreciate Western intellectual tradition, challenge it from a variety of critical and anti-colonial perspectives, and do both of these things while simultaneously rejecting SCiLL.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• deny
• dismiss
• rebuff
• refuse
• renounce
• repudiate
• scrap
• spurn
• turn down
• veto