blackballed

verb

past tense of blackball
as in dismissed
to reject by or as if by a vote he was disappointed to learn that he had been blackballed by the fraternity

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blackballed Kaepernick subsequently opted out of his contract with the 49ers and later in the year had received no contract offers; many of Kaepernick’s supporters suspected he was being blackballed because of his peaceful protests. — Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 Kaepernick was blackballed from the NFL for his decision to kneel on the sideline during the playing of the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice. — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 4 June 2026 Amazon Studios has been sued by a post-production vendor who alleges he was blackballed after refusing to pay kickbacks to an Amazon employee. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 May 2026 After being blackballed from the finance sector, Coop resorts to burglarizing the homes of those in his social circle and pawning the items to stay afloat. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026 Divorced and unemployed, Coop gets blackballed from the finance sector entirely. — Ryan Brennan april 1, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026 Enter Sheila, a street magician blackballed by the local boys club who wows Lincoln with her tips-only act. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026 Kaepernick was not issued a fine or suspension by the NFL, though no teams signed him as a 29-year-old free agent, leading to debate over whether he was blackballed by the league for his stance. — Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026 The reductive street code has blackballed Gunna in the rap game, with Offset and Roddy Ricch being the sole rapper collaborators on his two post-release albums. — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackballed
  1. dismissed
  2. refused
  3. killed
  4. vetoed
Verb
  • Gibson Dunn, an external law firm, investigated and dismissed Love’s complaints.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Advertisement Unfortunately, some of my academic and clinical colleagues have dismissed this approach.
    — David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissed
Verb
  • Kansas City, Kansas, schools also refused to sign a resolution agreement.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Having refused to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in 2019, a group dominated by China, New Delhi has signed free trade agreements with New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
    — C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • Rob and Michelle Reiner were killed on December 14, 2025, and Nick is charged with two counts of murder.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Son of a partisan fighter The son of a World War Two partisan fighter killed in 1945, Mladic was an officer in the old communist Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) when Yugoslavia's disintegration began in 1991.
    — Ivana Sekularac, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of killed
Verb
  • Capifali also helped administer the city’s regulation of hemp products under Johnson, who vetoed an ordinance that would outright ban those sales.
    — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Newsom last year vetoed legislation by Assemblymember Diane Papan (D-San Mateo) that would have required data centers to disclose and certify their water consumption.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of vetoed

Browse Nearby Words

blackball
blackballed
blackballing
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Cite this Entry

“Blackballed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackballed. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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