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Refuse vs Resign - What's the difference?

refuse | resign |

As verbs the difference between refuse and resign

is that refuse is while resign is to give up or hand over (something to someone); to relinquish ownership of or resign can be (proscribed).

refuse

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) .

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Discarded, rejected.
  • Noun

    (-)
  • (UK) Collectively, items or material that have been discarded; rubbish, garbage.
  • Synonyms
    * discards * garbage (US ) * rubbish (UK ) * trash (US ) * See also

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) refuser, from .

    Verb

    (refus)
  • To decline (a request or demand).
  • My request for a pay rise was refused .
    I refuse to listen to this nonsense any more.
  • * Bible, Isa. i. 20
  • If ye refuse ye shall be devoured with the sword.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=September 27 , author=Alistair Magowan , title=Bayern Munich 2 - 0 Man City , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=City were outclassed thereafter and Roberto Mancini said that substitute Carlos Tevez refused to play.}}
  • To decline a request or demand, forbear; to withhold permission.
  • I asked the star if I could have her autograph, but she refused .
  • (military) To throw back, or cause to keep back (as the centre, a wing, or a flank), out of the regular alignment when troops are about to engage the enemy.
  • to refuse the right wing while the left wing attacks
  • (obsolete) To disown.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Refuse thy name.
    Usage notes
    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See
    Synonyms
    * (decline) decline, reject, nill, say no to, turn down, veto, withsake * (decline a request or demand) say no, forbear

    Noun

  • (obsolete) refusal
  • (Fairfax)
    English heteronyms English reporting verbs ----

    resign

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) reisgner, (etyl) resigner, and its source, (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To give up or hand over (something to someone); to relinquish ownership of.
  • * , I.39:
  • And if the perfection of well-speaking might bring any glorie sutable unto a great personage, Scipio'' and ''Lelius would never have resigned the honour of their Comedies.
  • (transitive, or, intransitive) To quit (a job or position).
  • I am resigning in protest of the unfair treatment of our employees.
    He resigned the crown to follow his heart.
  • (transitive, or, intransitive) To submit passively; to give up as hopeless or inevitable.
  • After fighting for so long, she finally resigned to her death.
    He had no choice but to resign the game and let his opponent become the champion.
  • * 1996 , Robin Buss, The Count of Monte Cristo'', translation of, edition, ISBN 0140449264, page 394 [http://books.google.com/books?id=QAa5l_8DNbcC&pg=PA394&dq=fate]:
  • Here is a man who was resigned' to his fate, who was walking to the scaffold and about to die like a coward, that's true, but at least he was about to die without resisting and without recrimination. Do you know what gave him that much strength? Do you know what consoled him? Do you know what ' resigned him to his fate?
    Synonyms
    * quit
    Derived terms
    * resignation * resign oneself

    Etymology 2

    (re-) + (sign)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (proscribed)
  • Usage notes

    The spelling without the hyphen results in a heteronym and is usually avoided.

    Anagrams

    * reigns * signer * singer English contranyms English heteronyms