Is son restricted by awful rejection? (9)
I believe the answer is:
dismissal
'rejection?' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'is son restricted by awful' is the wordplay.
'son' becomes 's' (genealogical abbreviation for son).
'restricted by' indicates putting letters inside (I've seen this in other clues).
'awful' becomes 'dismal' (I've seen this before).
'is'+'s'='iss'
'iss' put into 'dismal' is 'DISMISSAL'.
(Other definitions for dismissal that I've seen before include "Process of being sent away" , "Removal from employment" , "Rejection" , "Termination of employment" , "job loss?" .)