as in to refuse
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in refusal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spurn
Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
Hardcore, like many self-consciously underground communities, spurned broader society by forming its own smaller one, which turned out to entail a fair amount of conformity, after all—those Boston hardcore kids on the State House steps were dressed pretty much the same, in jeans and dark jackets.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 11 June 2025
Amid an obsession with low-fat diets in the 1980s, avocados were spurned by many — even though their fats are mostly unsaturated.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025
Archbishop Bean bravely uplifted people with HIV-AIDS at a time when many with the illness were feared and spurned.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spurn
Noun
On Thursday, Putin spurned an offer by Zelensky to meet face-to-face in Turkey.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
Hardcore, like many self-consciously underground communities, spurned broader society by forming its own smaller one, which turned out to entail a fair amount of conformity, after all—those Boston hardcore kids on the State House steps were dressed pretty much the same, in jeans and dark jackets.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 11 June 2025
Amid an obsession with low-fat diets in the 1980s, avocados were spurned by many — even though their fats are mostly unsaturated.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025
Archbishop Bean bravely uplifted people with HIV-AIDS at a time when many with the illness were feared and spurned.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spurn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurn
Verb
-
Molina-Neave was arrested in San Antonio, Texas, in 2006 but refused extradition to Denver.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
7 July 2025
-
Glover refused, and Pierce told her to turn around as she was being arrested.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
Critics and viewers alike praised its restraint, its atmosphere, its refusal to explain itself — qualities rarely associated with advertising.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
5 July 2025
-
The lesson is that, in today’s Britain, the refusal to pursue meaningful change leads to perpetual turbulence and instability.—
Oliver Eagleton,
Time,
5 July 2025
Verb
-
New York Senator Julia Salazar, who was among the electeds observing hearings Thursday called for New Yorkers to reject what is happening inside lower Manhattan immigration courts.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
-
But her boss rejects her resignation, and offers her a new assignment: find Xavier, the mysterious kingpin whose power reaches all the way to the Oval Office.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
4 July 2025
Verb
-
Disney officials declined to comment on individual plans out of respect for all guests.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
-
Cal Fire officials declined to comment on whether either of the companies has had prior violations or enforcement actions, citing the active investigation.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
Gelsinger’s departure late last year was widely seen as a repudiation by the company of his complex turnaround plan, which included trying to rebuild Intel’s manufacturing base.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Thus, Airman Bushnell had reasonable cause to object to participation in the crime and substantial moral grounds for his repudiation of his nation’s descent into primitive barbarism.—
Kary Love,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Larger than life, his creation repulses and torments him, and Victor spends the rest of his life both running from it and trying to destroy it.—
Ann Kowal Smith,
Forbes,
16 Dec. 2024
-
The optical, stop-motion, and puppetry effects alone should make Brain Damage a priority on your watchlist, but Henenlotter’s film excites and repulses on a deeper level.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Spurn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurn. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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