Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person or thing that is not accepted or is set aside because it is considered inferior, unsatisfactory, or unsuitable.

2. Verb:

   • To refuse to accept, consider, or agree to something.
   • To dismiss or turn down an offer, proposal, idea, or person.
   • To fail to accept or integrate something, such as an organ in a medical transplant.
   • To discard or cast aside as not meeting a required standard.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The factory sorted the products, separating the rejects from the perfect ones.
  • He felt like a reject after not being chosen for the team.

• Verb:

  • The committee decided to reject the proposal due to a lack of funding.
  • She had to reject the job offer because it required relocation.
  • His body rejected the transplanted kidney.
  • The editor will reject any manuscript that does not meet our guidelines.

Advanced Usage

• "to reject out of hand": To dismiss something immediately without serious consideration.

  • The manager rejected the suggestion out of hand, which discouraged the team.

• "to reject the notion/idea that...": To firmly disagree with or refuse to accept a specific concept.

  • I reject the notion that success is only measured by wealth.

Variants and Related Words

• Rejection (n): The act of rejecting or the state of being rejected.

  • Facing rejection is a common part of the application process.

• Rejective (adj): Tending to reject. (Less common)

• Rejector (n): One who or that which rejects.

Synonyms

• Verb: Refuse, decline, turn down, repudiate, spurn, veto, dismiss.
• Noun: Castoff, discard, second, failure.

Antonyms

• Verb: Accept, approve, welcome, embrace, choose, select.
• Noun: Accept, keeper.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Reject" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. The action is typically expressed by the verb alone or with a direct object.)

Related Idioms

• "Don't reject it until you've tried it.": A saying advising against dismissing something without first experiencing it.
• "The mind rejects what it cannot comprehend.": A proverb suggesting people often dismiss ideas they do not understand.

Noun

1. the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality

Verb

1. dismiss from consideration or a contest
   • John was ruled out as a possible suspect because he had a strong alibi
   • This possibility can be eliminated from our consideration
2. refuse entrance or membership
   • They turned away hundreds of fans
   • Black people were often rejected by country clubs
3. resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ
   • His body rejected the liver of the donor
4. reject with contempt
   • She spurned his advances
5. deem wrong or inappropriate
   • I disapprove of her child rearing methods
6. refuse to accept
   • He refused my offer of hospitality
7. refuse to accept or acknowledge
   • I reject the idea of starting a war
   • The journal rejected the student's paper