I refuse to be treated like a slave by you.
Source: tatoeba (17451)
Refuse
/ˈɹɛfjuːs/
Synonyms for "refuse" (398 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (80)
Strong matches (119)
derelictdespisedetritusdirtdisagreedisallowdisapprovediscarddiscardingdisclaimdiscountdisdaindishwaterdismissdisowndispensedisposaldisregarddissentditchwater
Show 59 more words
dogiedraffdregsdrive awaydrive backdrossdumpdumpingdustdustheapeliminationembargoendenjoinexceptexcludeexclude fromfag endfend offfilingsfilthflotsamflotsam and jetsamforbidforswearfossilfoundlinggarbagegashgrudgehogwashholdhold offhold outhold out againstholdoverhuskhusksignoreinhibitinterdictjetsamjettisonjunkjunkingkeep backkeep offkelterlaganleavingsleesleftoverleftoverslitterloathelumbermucknegatenegative
Noun(18 words)
Verb(18 words)
disallowsdisapproveddisapprovingdisavowsdiscard place value materialsdiscardeddisdainingdisinclinesdismiss a proposaldismiss findingsdismisseddismissesdismissingdisobeydisobeyeddisobligegainsaidignore feedback
Adjective(4 words)
Related words (199)
Noun(31 words)
Adjective(4 words)
not allownot buynot consentnot hear ofnot think ofobjectodds and endsoffaloffscouringsorphanortsoutlawpack offparingparingspasspass bypass uppelfpotsherds
Show 115 more words
precludepreventprohibitproscribepush asidepush backput backragragsraspingraspingsrebuffrecantrefuse consentrefuse to considerrejectrejectamentarejectionrelicsremainderremainsremnantremovalrenouncerepelrepressreprobaterepudiaterepulseresidueresiduumresist entreatyresist persuasionrestriffraffrinsingroachrubbishruinruinsrule outrumpsawdustsay naysay nosay no toscouringscouringsscoutscrapscrap ironscrappingscrapsscumscum of the earthscurfsend awaysend offsend packingsewagesewerageshadowshardshardsshavingshavingsshove awayshunshut outslackslagslopslopssloughsnubsoilspurnstand aloofstrawstubblestumpsuppresssurvivalsweepingsswilltabootaretaresthrow awaythrow outthrowawaythrust backtracetrashturnturn awayturn backturn downturn outvestigevetovote nayvote negativelywaifwaifs and strayswaiveward offwastagewastewaste matterwastepaperwastrelweedweedswithhold
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: garbage, abjure, abstain, afterglow, afterimage.
- Sentence evidence is available for refuse, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "refuse".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "refuse"
Keep "refuse" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "refuse" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "refuse", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "refuse" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
19 entriesShowing 16 of 19 words.
More specific
12 entriesCollocations
11 entriesInflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
9 entriesTranslations
101 translations across 66 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- weier verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Arabic
2 entries- أَبَى verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- رَفَضَ verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Armenian
1 entries- մերժել verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Bangi
1 entries- boya verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Basque
2 entries- baztertu verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- uko egin verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Belarusian
2 entries- адка́зваць verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- адмаўля́ць verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Bulgarian
1 entries- отка́звам verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Burmese
1 entries- ပယ်ရှား verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Catalan
2 entries- rebutjar verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- refusar verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Cebuano
1 entries- balibad verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Chichewa
1 entries- -kana verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 回絕 /回绝 verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- 拒絕 /拒绝 verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Cornish
1 entries- denagha verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Czech
1 entries- odmítnout verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Danish
1 entries- afslå verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Dutch
2 entries- afslaan verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- weigeren verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Esperanto
1 entries- rifuzi verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Finnish
1 entries- kieltäytyä verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
French
1 entries- refuser verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Galician
1 entries- recusar verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Georgian
3 entries- უარს ამბობს verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- უარს იტყვის verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- უარყოფს verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
German
4 entries- ablehnen verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- abschlagen verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- sich weigern verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- verweigern verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Gothic
1 entries- 𐌱𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Greek
1 entries- αρνούμαι verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Haitian Creole
1 entries- refize verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Higaonon
1 entries- balibad verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Hindi
2 entries- अस्वीकार करना verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- अस्वीकारना verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Hungarian
3 entries- elutasít verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- megtagad verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- visszautasít verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Ido
1 entries- refuzar verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Indonesian
1 entries- menolak verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Irish
3 entries- cuir suas do verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- eitigh verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- éar verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Italian
1 entries- rifiutare verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Japanese
3 entries- 否む verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- 拒む verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- 断る verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Kapampangan
1 entries- payalyan verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Khmer
1 entries- បដិសេធ verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Korean
1 entries- 거절하다 verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Lao
1 entries- ປະຕິເສດ verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Latin
2 entries- abnegō verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- recūsō verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Lingala
1 entries- boya verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Macedonian
2 entries- одбива verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- одбие verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Middle English
1 entries- wernen verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Mongolian
1 entries- татгалзах verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Māori
3 entries- kape verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- meko verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- whakanau verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Ngazidja Comorian
2 entries- uhara verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- uharaya verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Norman
1 entries- r'fuser verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- avslå verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Odia
1 entries- ନାହିଁ କରିବା verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Oromo
1 entries- diduu verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Persian
1 entries- رد کردن verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Polish
1 entries- odrzucać verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Portuguese
1 entries- recusar verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Quechua
2 entries- mana quy verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- mananchay verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Russian
4 entries- отка́зывать verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- отказа́ть verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- отклони́ть verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- отклоня́ть verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- diùlt verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- òdbiti verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- о̀дбити verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Sidamo
1 entries- gib- verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Slovak
2 entries- odmietať verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- odmietnuť verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Spanish
1 entries- rehusar verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Swahili
2 entries- -dinda verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- -kanusha verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Swedish
2 entries- avslå verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- vägra verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Telugu
1 entries- నిరాకరించు verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Thai
1 entries- ปฏิเสธ verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Turkish
1 entries- reddetmek verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Ukrainian
1 entries- відмовля́ти verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Vietnamese
1 entries- từ chối verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Welsh
4 entries- gomedd verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- gwarafun verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- gwrthod verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
- nacáu verb ((transitive) decline (request, demand))
Sample sentences
23 total sentences available.
You did wrong to refuse his help.
Source: tatoeba (17752)
I refuse to consent to that plan.
Source: tatoeba (48547)
When Sony came back with a 2 billion bid, CBS could not refuse.
Source: tatoeba (50749)
Showing 4 of 23 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "refuse"?
Closest matches include garbage, abjure, abstain, afterglow, afterimage.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "refuse"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.