reject

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reject

/ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkt/ UK
/ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkt/ US
/ɹə-/ US
/ɹəˈd͡ʒekt/ Australia, New Zealand
/ɾɪˈd͡ʒɛkt/ Scotland, Wales
/ɻɪˈd͡ʒɛkt/ Northern Ireland
/ˈɹiːd͡ʒɛkt/ US, UK
/ˈɹiːd͡ʒekt/ Australia, New Zealand
/ˈɾid͡ʒɛkt/ Scotland
/ˈɾiːd͡ʒɛkt/ Wales
/ˈɻid͡ʒɛkt/ Northern Ireland

Rhymes with -ɪdʒɛkt, -ɛkt

Where it comes from

From Late Middle English rejecten, from Latin reiectus, past participle of reicere (“to throw back”), from re- (“back”) + iacere (“to throw”). Displaced native Old English āweorpan (literally “to throw out”).

verb rejects · rejecting · rejected

transitive To refuse to accept; to forswear. She even rejected my improved offer.
To block a shot, especially if it sends the ball off the court.
transitive To refuse a romantic advance. I've been rejected three times this week.

Similar: abjure, abnegate, decline, deny, disown, refuse, repudiate, say no, turn down, dismiss, discount · Opposite: accept, take up

noun rejects

Something that is rejected. Almost all line segments will be trivial accepts or trivial rejects, so the above covers the vast majority of cases.
Similar: castaway
derogatory, slang An unpopular person.
Similar: outcast, castaway, alien
colloquial A rejected defective product in a production line. In all of India, China, Africa, and much of the southern American continent, those who had the leisure and wallet for fashion […] would have killed for the street merchandise of Manhattan, as also for […] the reject china and designer-label bargains to be found in downtown discount emporia.
A rejected takeoff.
Similar: RTO

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: turn down, refuse, disapprove, turn away, spurn, eliminate, scorn, disdain, decline, cull, pass up, rule out, pooh-pooh, freeze off, refusal, rejection

verb

Similar: abjure, abnegate, decline, deny, disown, refuse, repudiate, say no, turn down, dismiss, discount · Opposite: accept, take up

Translations

Every language

verb to refuse to accept

Español	rechazar, desestimar, inadmitir, plaguear, descartar
한국어	거절하다 geojeol-hada
日本語	拒絶する kyozetsu suru
中文	拒絕 /拒绝 jùjué
हिन्दी	अस्वीकार करना asvīkār karnā
Português	rejeitar
Français	rejeter
Deutsch	verwerfen, ablehnen, zurückweisen
Italiano	respingere, rifiutare
Ελληνικά	απορρίπτω aporrípto
Română	respinge, refuza
Русский	отверга́ть otvergátʹ, отве́ргнуть otvérgnutʹ, отмета́ть otmetátʹ, отмести́ otmestí
Tiếng Việt	từ chối
العربية	رَفَضَ rafaḍa

verb to refuse a romantic advance

Español	chotear, bochar, dar boche, dar un boche
中文	拒絕 /拒绝 jùjué
Русский	отшивать otšivatʹ, отвергать otvergatʹ

noun something that is rejected

Español	artículo defectuoso

noun slang: an unpopular person

Español	marginado, marginada

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Cite this

MLA

"reject." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/reject. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

reject. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/reject

Chicago

"reject." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/reject.

BibTeX

@misc{reject_2026,
  title = {reject},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/reject},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}