rejection

rejection — noun

1. a decision or action that says no to an offer, person, idea, or thing, choosing

1.nounB1
Definition

a decision or action that says no to an offer, person, idea, or thing, choosing not to have or accept it

Example

The team's rejection of the proposal surprised everyone in the meeting.

rejection + of + noun phrase (the thing refused)

Pim felt hurt by his manager's rejection of his ideas during the discussion.

Common collocations
  • rejection of a proposal
  • rejection of an idea
  • rejection of an offer
  • face rejection
Synonyms
  • refusal

    more direct and often about saying no to a request; less about judging quality or worth

  • dismissal

    suggests treating something as unimportant rather than just declining it

  • veto

    only for formal decisions by a person or body with the power to block something

Antonyms
  • acceptance

    the positive response to an offer, application, or idea

  • approval

    official agreement or permission

Grammar Patterns

rejection + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Commonly followed by 'of + noun phrase' to specify what is being refused — the thing can be an idea, a proposal, an offer, or a person.

Common Mistakes

His refusal of the job was rude.
His rejection of the job offer was rude.
'rejection' is used when an institution or person turns down an application or candidate; 'refusal' is used when a person says no to an offer they have received.

2. a formal notice sent to someone who has applied for a job, school, or program, e

2.nounB1
Definition

a formal notice sent to someone who has applied for a job, school, or program, explaining that their application has been turned down

Example

Layla opened the envelope and found a rejection from the university she had applied to.

rejection + from + institution

After months of waiting, Rachid finally received a rejection from the publishing house.

Common collocations
  • rejection letter
  • rejection slip
  • rejection notice
  • get a rejection
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

rejection + from + institution

rejection letter

Usage Note

Often appears as part of compound nouns: rejection letter, rejection slip, rejection notice. In informal speech, people may say 'a rejection' to mean any kind of negative response to an application.

Common Mistakes

I got a refusal from the college.
I got a rejection from the college.
when an institution turns down your application, they send a 'rejection'; 'refusal' is what you give when you say no to an offer.

3. a situation where a person is denied the emotional warmth, care, or affection th

3.nounB2
Definition

a situation where a person is denied the emotional warmth, care, or affection they hope to receive from someone close to them

Example

The child's fear of rejection kept him from trying to make friends at school.

fear of rejection — common psychological collocation

Padma struggled with painful feelings of rejection after her partner ended their relationship.

Common collocations
  • fear of rejection
  • feelings of rejection
  • sense of rejection
  • family rejection
Synonyms
  • ostracism

    more formal and severe — implies being excluded from a group entirely

  • shunning

    suggests deliberate, active avoidance by others

Antonyms
  • acceptance

    being welcomed and valued by others

  • affection

    warm feelings and care shown towards someone

Grammar Patterns

fear of rejection

feelings of rejection

Usage Note

Frequently appears in psychological and relational contexts: fear of rejection, feelings of rejection, sense of rejection. Distinguish from sense 1 (REFUSAL), which involves decisions about offers or ideas rather than withholding personal affection.

Common Mistakes

She suffered from family refusal.
She suffered from family rejection.
for emotional withholding and lack of affection, 'rejection' is the correct word, not 'refusal'.

4. a dangerous reaction by the body's defense system against a transplanted organ o

4.nounC1
Definition

a dangerous reaction by the body's defense system against a transplanted organ or tissue, attacking it as if it were a foreign invader

Example

The patient's body showed early signs of organ rejection after the kidney transplant.

organ rejection — fixed medical collocation

Doctors gave Christopher strong drugs to prevent his immune system from causing rejection.

Common collocations
  • organ rejection
  • transplant rejection
  • acute rejection
  • risk of rejection
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

organ rejection

risk of rejection

Usage Note

Always used in medical contexts. Common collocations include: organ rejection, transplant rejection, acute rejection (sudden and severe), and chronic rejection (slow and long-term). The verb form 'reject' is also standard in medicine: 'the body rejected the organ.'

Common Mistakes

The body refused the organ.
The body rejected the organ.
in medicine, 'rejection' and 'reject' are the standard technical terms; 'refuse' is not used for the immune response.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Refusal, denial, rebuff, and dismissal all involve saying no, but with different emphases. Refusal is a straightforward no to a request or offer — it focuses on the act of declining. Denial often means saying something is not true or blocking access, as in denial of rights or denial of facts. Rebuff is a more personal, often abrupt refusal that can feel rude or dismissive. Dismissal suggests treating an idea or person as unworthy of serious consideration — it carries a tone of disregard. For example, 'her rejection of the job offer was polite but firm' describes a decision about the offer; 'his refusal to help was disappointing' focuses on the act of saying no; 'the court's denial of the appeal was final' emphasizes not granting permission; and 'his dismissal of her concerns upset everyone' suggests he brushed them aside as unimportant.

refusal ↗denial ↗rebuffdismissal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • flatly
  • outright
  • categorically

Phrases

  • fear of rejection
  • rejection letter
  • risk of rejection
  • rejection rate
  • sense of rejection

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'rejection' entered English in the 1500s from French 'rejection', which came from Latin 'reicere' meaning 'to throw back'. The Latin word was formed from 're-' (back) and 'iacere' (to throw). At first it was used mainly for refusing things, and later the medical meaning — the body 'throwing back' a transplanted organ — developed in the early 1900s.