rejection
Americannoun
-
the act or process of rejecting.
- Synonyms:
- elimination, dismissal, refusal
-
the state of being rejected.
- Synonyms:
- elimination, dismissal, refusal
-
something that is rejected.
Discover More
Rejection is the most serious problem faced in surgery involving organ transplants. Drugs are used to suppress the immune system after organ transplant in order to prevent the rejection of and eventual death of the transplanted tissue.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of rejection
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin rējectiōn-, stem of rējectiō “a throwing back”; equivalent to reject + -ion
Explanation
The noun rejection can refer to the actual act of rejecting something or to the feeling one has after being rejected. In other words, you might have feelings of rejection after experiencing the rejection of others. The Latin noun rēicere, which means "to throw back," is the ancestor of the word rejection. Nobody likes to feel the rejection of being excluded. The word rejection became popular in psychology in 1931, when parental rejection was seen as a motivation of bad behavior in children. The word found a medical meaning by 1943, as the body's refusal to accept a transplant.
Vocabulary lists containing rejection
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
I thought the rejection was the right call, because the proposal struck me as a private boondoggle, with no designated customer for the water and a slurry of environmental hazards.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2026
Even so, Stevenson emphasized that the findings should not be interpreted as a blanket rejection of marine cloud brightening.
From Science Daily • Jul. 3, 2026
In her video, Michelle Bolsonaro recalled how she had built up the women's wing "from scratch", electing over a thousand female leaders, and helping "reduce rejection" of some male candidates.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
And that rejection was for good reason, Betsy Fisher, advocacy counsel for national nonprofit United Stateless, told Salon.
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026
I kept wanting to say something, but didn’t want to risk the rejection if it turned out I wasn’t invited.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
