jQuery Deferred isRejected() Method

What Is isRejected()?

deferred.isRejected() was a boolean check: true after reject() / rejectWith(), otherwise false. It took no arguments. Today, use state() instead.

// OLD (jQuery 1.5–1.7 only — removed in 1.8)
dfd.isRejected()  → true | false

// MODERN replacement
dfd.state() === "rejected"

state(): "pending" | "resolved" | "rejected"

How to Check Rejected State

Prefer state() (since jQuery 1.7). Call it after the Deferred may have settled.

1. Create or receive a Deferred / Promise.
2. Call dfd.state() at a checkpoint (after reject, or inside fail).
3. Compare with === "rejected" for the old isRejected() meaning.
4. For reactions (UI messages, retries), register fail() instead of polling.

Pseudocode

function isRejected(deferred):          // legacy idea
    return deferred.state() === "rejected"

// True only after reject / rejectWith
// False while pending or after resolve

Cheat Sheet

Quick facts for status checks and the removal timeline.

Live Preview

Settle a Deferred and see state() === "rejected" (modern isRejected).

state(): rejected
isRejected?: true

jQuery Examples

All demos use state() === "rejected" so they work on current jQuery. Open DevTools Console, or use Try It Yourself.

var dfd = $.Deferred();
dfd.reject("Network error");

var isRejected = dfd.state() === "rejected";
console.log(dfd.state());   // "rejected"
console.log(isRejected);   // true

rejected
true

var dfd = $.Deferred();

console.log(dfd.state());                 // "pending"
console.log(dfd.state() === "rejected");  // false

pending
false

var dfd = $.Deferred();
dfd.resolve("ok");

console.log(dfd.state());                 // "resolved"
console.log(dfd.state() === "rejected");  // false

resolved
false

var dfd = $.Deferred();

dfd.fail(function (err) {
  console.log("handled: " + err);
  console.log("rejected?: " + (dfd.state() === "rejected"));
});

dfd.reject("timeout");
// handled: timeout
// rejected?: true

handled: timeout
rejected?: true

Performance Notes

A single state() read is cheap. The cost is wrong design — polling instead of callbacks.

Key Takeaways