snubbed

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   Past form of snub: ignored someone or rejected them in a rude way that was meant to hurt.

   Grammar: Past tense and past participle of snub; takes an object: she snubbed him.

   Patterns

   • snub someone
   • be snubbed by someone

   She snubbed her old friend by walking past without a word.

   The director snubbed the invitation and stayed home.

   He felt snubbed when nobody asked for his opinion.

2. 2verbtransitive

   Past form of snub: refused to accept or attend something, especially an award or offer, as a sign of disrespect.

   Grammar: Usually about offers, invitations or awards.

   Patterns

   • snub an invitation
   • snub an offer

   The actor snubbed the ceremony in protest.

   Several leaders snubbed the summit.

   The committee snubbed her proposal.

Word forms

Common combinations

snubbed an invitation

He snubbed an invitation to the wedding.

feel snubbed

I felt snubbed when she didn't reply.

snubbed by the committee

The film was snubbed by the committee.

publicly snubbed

He was publicly snubbed at the dinner.

snubbed the offer

She snubbed the offer of help.

Synonyms and how they differ

ignored

Ignored just means paid no attention, while snubbed suggests it was deliberate and insulting.

rebuffed

Rebuffed means sharply rejected an approach or offer, usually in response to someone asking.

slighted

Slighted is a bit milder, often unintentional offense.

shunned

Shunned means avoided over a long time, with a sense of social exclusion.

Opposites

Word family

snub verb

to treat rudely

snub noun

an act of rudeness or disrespect

snubbing noun

the act of ignoring someone rudely

snub-nosed adjective

having a short, flat nose (a separate sense)

Commonly confused: snubbed or snobbed?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “snubbed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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