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"Refuse" is to actively decline to do something; "reject" is to dismiss or turn down someone or something that is offered or applied.
Side-by-side comparison
"Refuse" is to actively decide not to do or accept something. The decision comes from you. "She refused to apologize" = she decided not to apologize. Structure: refuse + to + infinitive.
She refused to sign the contract without reading it first.
He refused all offers of help. He wanted to do it alone.
The child refused to eat vegetables no matter what.
"Reject" is to turn down someone or something that was proposed or submitted for evaluation. The one rejecting holds authority over what is rejected. "They rejected my application" = they turned down my application.
His application was rejected because he lacked the required experience.
She felt hurt after being rejected by the university she had always dreamed of.
The editor rejected the manuscript after reviewing the first chapter.
Common mistake
"The company rejected to hire me" is wrong: "reject" does not take an infinitive. Correct: "The company refused to hire me" (the company chose not to act) or "My application was rejected" (the application was turned down).
Trick to remember it
- •"Refuse" = the subject actively says no (refuse + to-infinitive: "refuse to do").
- •"Reject" = someone with authority evaluates and discards (reject + direct object: "reject the offer/candidate").
- •Application turned down = reject.
- •Decision not to participate = refuse.
Quick rule
- •"Refuse" = I say no (my own action, + to-infinitive).
- •"Reject" = someone in authority discards something or someone (+ direct object).
Did you know?
The associated nouns are equally useful. REFUSAL = the formal act of declining: "His refusal to cooperate delayed everything", he chose not to cooperate. REJECTION = the act of rejecting: "Dealing with rejection is part of any creative process", something or someone was discarded. And REJECT as an informal noun = something or someone considered inferior or not accepted: "factory rejects" (defective products). Interesting: in modern youth slang, "to get rejected" (in a romantic context) uses REJECTED, someone with the power to accept or reject (the other person) discarded you. And in immunology, "organ rejection" uses REJECT, the body evaluates the transplanted organ as foreign and discards it.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ d to sign the contract without reading it first.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The editor _____ ed the article. It wasn't the right style for the magazine.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy