refusenik

Noun

Meaning

(Soviet Union, slang, historical) One of the citizens of the former Soviet Union, typically but not exclusively Jewish, who were refused permission to emigrate.
Synonym: otkaznik

(colloquial) A person who refuses to do something, for example one who refuses conscription or vaccination.
Hyponym: anti-vaccinationist

(colloquial) A person who wants to do something but is refused permission to.

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Synonyms

protester objector recusant antivaccinationist

Antonyms

optimist spaniel stickler groveller truckler

Examples

And if you’re a mask refusenik – some are calling them muzzles or face nappies – you’re firmly linked to the libertarian right. Source: Internet

Natan Sharansky, a Soviet refusenik, spent 9 years (many of them in solitary confinement) in a Russian prison. Source: Internet

Refusenik jihadist groups also resent the Islamic State because it woos their soldiers, which fosters factionalism and infighting. Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms

refuse to take a test refuse to take advantage of refuse to testify refuser refusing to speak refusion