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
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
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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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.
The litany of complaints continues, though, and reading between the lines, it’s clear the root of the men’s fury is rejection.
From Slate • May 26, 2026
It can be a long season if the bitterness of the major league rejection of the winter lingers into the spring and summer, but Kelly does not see that in Turner.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
The rejection doesn’t come as much of a surprise—eBay stock had already been trading well below the $125-a-share offer amid skepticism that GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen could pull off the deal.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
The rejection has diminished expectations for a near-term resolution to the conflict, Hola Prime’s Somesh Kapuria says in an email.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
Stung by this rejection, the three men of the Retrenchment Committee themselves resigned.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
