Basic Details
Word: Rejection
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The act of refusing to accept, use or believe someone or something.
Synonyms: refusal, dismissal, rebuff
Antonyms: acceptance, approval
Word origin: From Latin rejicere, to throw back, from jacere, to throw.
How to Spell Rejection
Syllables: re - jec - tion
Tricky part: The middle is ject, with a j and a ct, and the ending is tion. Students write rejecsion, or rejaction when the vowel is not clear.
Watch out for: rejecsion, rejaction, regection
Memory tip: Keep the whole verb reject and add ion: reject + ion. Object, inject and project make their nouns the same way.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The rejection of our team's science project made us work twice as hard the next year.
Example 2: Fear of rejection stopped him from applying to the music school.
Example 3: The company sent a polite letter of rejection to every unsuccessful candidate.
Fun Fact
The first Harry Potter book was turned down by several publishers before a small London publisher, Bloomsbury, agreed to print it in 1997.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word rejection as used in the sentence:
The committee's rejection of the plan for a new playground disappointed the children.
a) dismissal
b) acceptance
c) refusal
d) denial
Show answer
b) acceptance. Refusal, dismissal and denial all mean turning the plan down; acceptance would have said yes to it.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
rejecction
a) c
b) t
c) j
d) e
Show answer
a) c. One c is enough before the t, just as in reject itself.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Her request for extra time met with a polite cterjieon from the examiner.
a) objection
b) injection
c) ejection
d) rejection
Show answer
d) rejection. Injection and objection each swap the r and an e for other letters, and ejection has no r at all.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which reply is a rejection of an invitation?
a) See you at six
b) Count me in
c) Sorry, I can't come
d) I'll bring the cake
Show answer
c) Sorry, I can't come
2. A job applicant who receives a rejection letter has ____.
a) won a cash prize
b) not been offered the job
c) been given a promotion
d) been asked to start soon
Show answer
b) not been offered the job
