1.
to refuse; to decline
To firmly say no to a request or offer.
彼女は申し出を拒んだ。
She refused the offer.
協力を拒む理由はない。
There's no reason to refuse cooperation.
父は何度も頼んだが、最後まで頑として拒み続けた。
I asked my father many times, but he stubbornly kept refusing until the end.
2.
to reject; to turn away
To not accept or not allow something.
入国を拒まれた。
I was denied entry into the country.
その店は未成年の入場を拒んでいる。
That shop turns away minors.
審査委員会は書類に不備があるとして、彼の申請を拒んだ。
The review committee rejected his application, citing incomplete documents.
3.
to resist; to block
To stand against or prevent something from happening.
体が変化を拒んでいる。
My body is resisting change.
住民たちは開発計画を拒んだ。
The residents blocked the development plan.
長年にわたって地域の人々が一丸となり、大型ショッピングモールの建設を拒み続けてきた。
For many years, the local people have united to resist the construction of a large shopping mall.
拒む is a transitive verb (他動詞). There is no common intransitive pair.
ASPECT ({ている}):
拒んでいる indicates a continuing state of refusal or rejection.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 申し出を拒む - to refuse an offer
- 入場/入国を拒む - to deny entry
- 協力を拒む - to refuse cooperation
- 拒み続ける - to keep refusing
拒む VS 断る:
- 拒む is more formal and literary, implying firm rejection
- 断る is more common in everyday speech and can be polite refusal
- 拒む often implies resistance or stubborn refusal
RELATED WORDS:
- 拒否 - refusal, rejection (noun)
- 拒絶 - rejection (stronger)