as in rejected
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
fiercely independent, the elderly couple spurned all offers of financial help
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Recent Examples of spurned
In a flurry of rapid-fire votes, most Senate Republicans spurned a group of measures Democrats said would lower everyday costs for Americans while separately moving to approve $70 billion for immigration enforcement.
—
Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
However, four of the signatories spurned the agreement and resumed fighting after the 2021 army takeover.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The two women haven’t spoken in 10 years when Mother Mary shows up on Sam Anselm’s doorstep with sad eyes and stringy hair, like a lost dog who got caught in the rain, and her spurned BFF leaps at the chance to make the most of her leverage.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Hiller spurned Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee to join a program in need of talent up front during first-year head coach Jon Sumrall’s rebuild.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
According to the student paper, Welsh became extremely popular and spurned the advances of the men on campus.
—Patrick Salland, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
In a case of serious schadenfreude, the player left on the Carolina trash heap earned most outstanding player honors, courtesy of 19 points, two assists and one turnover, on the same day that his old school finally found a new head coach – having been spurned by, among others, his current coach.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Against Fulham, Ola Aina was only denied by the bar, Dan Ndoye had a goal chalked off for possibly the tightest VAR call that has been conjured up yet and Taiwo Awoniyi and Elliot Anderson spurned decent chances.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Police are investigating it as an overdose, spurned by the mistaken purchase of fentanyl instead of a different white powdery substance.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
However, four of the signatories spurned the agreement and resumed fighting after the 2021 army takeover.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The two women haven’t spoken in 10 years when Mother Mary shows up on Sam Anselm’s doorstep with sad eyes and stringy hair, like a lost dog who got caught in the rain, and her spurned BFF leaps at the chance to make the most of her leverage.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Hiller spurned Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee to join a program in need of talent up front during first-year head coach Jon Sumrall’s rebuild.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
According to the student paper, Welsh became extremely popular and spurned the advances of the men on campus.
—Patrick Salland, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
In a case of serious schadenfreude, the player left on the Carolina trash heap earned most outstanding player honors, courtesy of 19 points, two assists and one turnover, on the same day that his old school finally found a new head coach – having been spurned by, among others, his current coach.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Against Fulham, Ola Aina was only denied by the bar, Dan Ndoye had a goal chalked off for possibly the tightest VAR call that has been conjured up yet and Taiwo Awoniyi and Elliot Anderson spurned decent chances.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Police are investigating it as an overdose, spurned by the mistaken purchase of fentanyl instead of a different white powdery substance.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurned
Verb
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At one point, Iran asked to move its games to Mexico, but that request was rejected.—
Anne M. Peterson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Voters in a 1986 retention election rejected Rose Bird, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, and two liberal colleagues, over dissatisfaction with decisions overturning numerous death penalty sentences.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Larysa was stuck in Belarus, a country allied with Russia that Nataliia despised and had refused to move to, despite her daughter’s many pleas.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Nuggets refused to engage, declining to respond on the off day.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Westerheide declined to answer follow-up questions about the Patton autopsy.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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That tax collector, Cheryl Blogoslawski, was suspended from her job in January, not long after a new mayor, Democrat Bobby Sanchez, took office after Stewart declined to seek a seventh two-year term.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Colorectal Cancer Alliance's survey shows younger patients' symptoms often go ignored, delaying diagnosis and treatment.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2026
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The Other Bennet Sister BritBox, May 6 Hadlow’s continuation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice imagines the fortunes of Mary Bennet, aka the boring (though not entirely ignored) one.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurned. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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