/ɹɪˈdʒɛktɪd/
Say it backRejected describes something dismissed or refused, or a person deemed unsuitable. It also functions as the past participle of reject, indicating that an action has been turned down. In everyday use, it often conveys a sense of exclusion or failure, with nuance depending on context (formal decision, social rejection, or product rejection).
"The committee rejected the proposal after a lengthy review."
"She felt rejected when her idea was dismissed in the meeting."
"The security system rejected his access card due to an expired credential."
Pronounced /rɪˈdʒɛk.tɪd/ (US/UK alike in common speech). The main stress is on the second syllable: re-JECT-ed. Start with a short, lax 'ri' before the 'dʒ' sound as in 'red' starts; then the 'ject' rhymes with 'reject' in itself but with a 'e' as in 'bet'. The final syllable is a light 'id' sound: -ed pronounced as /ɪd/ rather than /d/ or /ɪz/. For careful pronunciation, ensure the 'dʒ' is clear and the 't' is not swallowed before the final ed. Audio reference: consult Forvo or Pronounce with the word 'rejected'.
Common errors include skipping the secondary stress by saying re-JECT-id with weak emphasis, or making the final /tɪd/ cluster too harsh as /tɪd/ vs /təd/. Some speakers merge the ed into a simple /d/ or /t/; correct form uses /ɪd/ after a t-like consonant. Another frequent slip is misplacing the primary stress, saying RE-ject-ed or re-JECT-ed with wrong rhythm. Correct by maintaining clear /dʒ/ transition into the /tɪd/ ending, and by ensuring the vowel in the stressed syllable is /ɛ/ as in 'bet'.
In US and UK, the middle 'ject' contains /dʒ/ and the vowel is /ɛ/ in the stressed syllable; some UK speakers may reduce the final 'ed' to /ɪd/ or /ɪt/ depending on pace, but most preserve /ɪd/. Australian English tends to be a bit more clipped: the /ɪ/ in the final -ed can be reduced and the final syllable might have a shorter, crisper /d/ or /t/ with less vowel. Overall, rhoticity differences are minor here; vowel quality in stressed syllable remains /ɛ/ in most varieties.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic rhythm: re-JECT-ed places the primary stress on the second syllable, which can feel counterintuitive when speaking quickly. The /dʒ/ cluster before the vowel in -ject is a palatal affricate that can be swallowed or softened; the final -ed can be pronounced as /ɪd/ or devoiced as /t/ depending on speed. People often truncate or misplace the stress, producing re-JECT-id or re-JECTED with a flatter melody. Focus on clear /dʒ/ onset and the /ɪd/ ending.
Yes. In careful speech you often hear a linking glide or vowel before the final -ed: you may hear a slight /ɜː/ or schwa before the /d/ in fast speech; however, in careful diction the ending is /-tɪd/ with the final /d/ audible. Practically, keep the sequence clear: re- (unstressed), JECT as /dʒɛkt/, then -ed as /ɪd/ or /tɪd/ depending on tempo. The linking sound isn’t mandatory, but a tiny transitional vowel can help maintain syllable clarity when speaking slowly.
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Rejected comes from the verb reject, formed from Latin re- ‘again, back’ + iacere ‘to throw, cast’ via Old French rejeter. The Latin root iacere also gave rise to eject, interject, project, and object. The prefix re- signals back or again, while the suffix -ed marks the past participle in English, indicating a completed action or a passive state. The first known English use of reject itself traces to Middle English, borrowed from Old French rejecier, and ultimately from Latin excipere (to take out, reject) via ex- ‘out’ + capere ‘to take’. Over time, English extended reject to describe both the act of turning down an offer and the state of something cast aside as unsuitable. In modern usage, rejected commonly collocates with proposals, applications, ideas, and claims, and can describe people in social contexts or products in quality control. The term has retained its negative evaluative tone, though in some technical domains it is a neutral descriptor for a non-massing outcome in a procedure or test.
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Words that rhyme with "rejected"
-ted sounds
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