Refuse, Turn Down, Reject, Decline or Deny?

Hello and welcome to Fransy Fancy English! All these words show that you don't want to accept or consider something. Let's go through them one by one.

REFUSE SOMETHING / TO DO STH (verb)

REFUSAL (noun)

If you refuse to do something, you're unwilling to do it. You may change your mind later though and do it. You might also refuse to give someone what they want.

"I refused to pay for their meal." 

Sometimes we refuse to accept, allow, admit or discuss something.

"He refused to admit his mistake."

"I refuse to accept that you didn't know anything about that."

"They flatly refused to discuss the issue further."

We can also refuse something, such as a(n) offer or request. People have the ability to refuse entry, access, permission or help, and they do! 

"Why do elderly people always refuse help from others?"

"The company refused my request for an interview."

We have all received the error messages "Access Denied" or "Permission Denied" instead of refused, haven't we? In this case, they are synonymous but "deny" is considered formal.

"Access to the file was denied." (formal)

 "Our request for time off work is denied." (formal)

TURN SOMETHING DOWN (phrasal verb)

TURN DOWN SOMETHING

This is a casual way to say refuse.

"I turned the invitation down." (casual)

"She turned down my offer of a romantic trip." (casual)

"I have turned down three jobs so far. Am I too picky?" (casual)

"I refused the invitation."

DENY (verb)

DENIAL (noun)

As we have already seen, in the sense of not allowing someone to do something or enter a place, deny and refuse play the same role. The difference here is that deny is the formal option.

"They were denied permission to leave."

"She was denied access to higher education."

When you refuse to do something, you simply don't want to do it.

"I refused to give him the money." 

I didn't want and didn't give it to him. 

When you deny doing something or having done something you refuse to take the blame for something they are accusing you of.

"My ex accused me of stealing his money. I denied stealing / having stolen the money."

This means that I'm not guilty, according to my testimony.

We also use deny to refuse to admit the truth of something. For instance, we can deny an accusation, a charge or an allegation. People often deny responsibilities and rumors. Someone who denies involvement or participation in something, they refuse to recognize or acknowledge it.

"The prominent politician denied the allegations of sexual harassment."

"The couple denied the rumors that they may split up."

"The department denies responsibility for what occurred."

REJECT SOMETHING/SOMEONE (verb)

REJECTION (noun)

When a plan, idea or suggestion doesn't meet your standards, you reject it. You dismiss it out of hand.

We reject proposals, ideas, suggestions, offers, plans and candidates.

"The company rejects most of the candidates as unsuitable."

"We rejected the idea of moving to Denmark."

"How can you reject this offer outright?"

"I was rejected by the university I applied to."

DECLINE SOMETHING / TO DO SOMETHING (verb) Formal

DECLINE (noun)

When you decline something, you politely refuse to do or accept something. "Decline" is a formal synonym for "refuse". We can decline offers, invitations, second drinks or job positions. Your credit card can also be declined if you reached your credit limit.

"I offered to take her home, but she declined."

"To decline an invitation politely, apologize and explain why you can't attend."

"Always be polite and thank the hiring manager before you decline a job offer."