reject

The word “reject” means to refuse to accept, believe, or agree to something. In plain terms, to turn something down, or a thing/person that has been turned down.

“Reject” is pronounced rih-JEHKT (/ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkt/ in IPA).

Here is “reject” used in a sentence: “The publisher rejected the manuscript after only one read.”

Words with a similar meaning to “reject” include abjure, abnegate, decline, deny, disown and refuse.

The opposite of “reject” — its antonyms — are accept and take up.

Depending on how it is used, “reject” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “reject” comes from Latin. From Latin reicere, "to throw back," from re- ("back") plus iacere ("to throw").

“Reject” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Decline is the softer, more polite word and usually applies to invitations and offers, as in declining a meeting request. Reject is stronger and means to refuse to accept, believe, or agree to something, and it often suggests the thing was considered and firmly turned away, as in rejecting a proposal or an idea.

To deny something is to declare it untrue or to refuse a request: you deny an accusation or deny someone entry. To reject something is to refuse to accept or agree to it: you reject an offer, a plan, or an argument. A committee can deny your request or reject your application, but only deny works when the meaning is "say it is false."

Yes. As a noun applied to a person, reject is an insult: it labels someone as having been turned down or discarded, for example by a group or team. Applied to objects, as in "factory rejects," it is neutral and simply means items that failed to meet a standard.

Both mean saying no, but they behave differently in a sentence: refuse commonly takes a to-infinitive ("she refused to sign"), while reject takes a direct object ("she rejected the contract"). Reject also tends to imply that something offered or proposed was assessed and dismissed, whereas refuse focuses on the act of not doing or not allowing something.