What does rejection mean?
Rejection is the refusal to accept, approve, recognize, or include something. It is used for formal decisions, such as a committee rejecting a proposal, and for personal or social situations in which someone is refused acceptance or attention. The word can describe an event, as in receiving a rejection, or a broader process, as in a policy concerning the rejection of applicants. In medicine and biology, rejection has a more technical meaning: an immune system may reject a transplanted organ because it recognizes the tissue as foreign. Rejection generally carries an unpleasant or unsuccessful connotation, although its force varies with context. The related verb reject is widely used in both practical and emotional settings, while rejection itself often gives greater emphasis to the decision, the exclusion, or the underlying process.
nounThe act of refusing to accept, consider, or acknowledge something. It can also refer to the act of excluding someone or treating them as unacceptable.
- The act of refusing to accept, approve, or acknowledge something.
- The act of excluding someone or denying them acceptance, approval, or belonging.
- A formal instance of refusing to accept or approve something.
- The rejection of a biological substance, such as an organ transplant, because the recipient's immune system treats it as foreign.
"Her proposal met with rejection from the committee."
"The editor rejected the article after several rounds of revision."
"Experience of rejection in childhood may affect a person's confidence in later relationships."
Commonly used for individual instances of refusal or exclusion.
"She had to face several rejections before finding a job she liked."
Rejection comes from the same Latin root as reject, literally meaning to throw something back or away.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rejection come from?
The word comes through Latin from rejectio, a noun meaning a throwing back or rejection, derived from rejicere, meaning to throw back. The underlying elements re- and jacere refer to throwing back or throwing away. The related English verb reject entered use during the early modern period and became the foundation for the modern noun.
Related word forms
How rejection is actually used
In general use, rejection can sound formal or emotionally blunt. In medical and scientific contexts, it commonly describes the immune response to a transplanted tissue or organ.
Easily confused with rejection
Rejection means refusing or excluding something, whereas dejection means low spirits or sadness.
Rejection often emphasizes an adverse decision or exclusion, while refusal can simply denote an answer of no.