Meaning & use
spurn
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Meaning
verbtransitive
To turn down a person, offer or idea in a scornful, proud way, as if it were beneath you.
Grammar: Takes an object: she spurned his help.
Patterns
- spurn someone
- spurn something
- spurn an offer
She spurned his offer of friendship and walked away.
The company spurned several takeover bids last year.
He felt hurt after his friends spurned his invitation.
Word forms
| third person singular | spurns |
|---|---|
| past tense | spurned |
| past participle | spurned |
| -ing form | spurning |
Common combinations
- spurn an offer
- The striking workers spurned the final offer.
- spurn someone's advances
- He spurned her advances politely but firmly.
- spurn help
- Too proud to ask, he spurned any help from neighbors.
- spurned lover
- The play tells the story of a spurned lover seeking revenge.
- spurn tradition
- The young architect spurned tradition and designed something bold.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reject
- Reject is the neutral word for turning something down, while spurn adds contempt or pride.
- rebuff
- Rebuff suggests a blunt, sharp refusal, often of someone approaching you, but not always with scorn.
- snub
- Snub usually means treating someone coldly or ignoring them in public, rather than refusing a specific offer.
- decline
- Decline is polite and mild, the opposite of the scornful tone of spurn.
Opposites
Word family
- spurned adjective
- rejected with scorn, as in a spurned lover
- spurner noun
- a person who spurns, rare
Commonly confused: spurn or spur?
spurn vs spur
To spur means to urge on or encourage, as in spur growth, which is almost the opposite of spurn in feeling. Take care with the final n.
Practice
Which choice shows scornful rejection?
Choose one answer.
Spurned means rejected with contempt, which fits calling the job beneath her. The other options show acceptance, delay or deference, not scorn.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spurn”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.