rebuff — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A sudden resistance or refusal.

   Examples

   He was surprised by her quick rebuff to his proposal.

   More examples (3)

   And it is symptomatic of the many paradoxes of Lederer's life that of all the people in the room, Brotherhood is the one whom he would most wish to serve, if ever he had the opportunity, even though — or perhaps because — his occasional efforts to ingratiate himself with his adopted hero have met with iron rebuff.

   His administration’s blunt rebuff of a plea by his ally and Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for an increased supply of vaccines to combat a Covid-19 spike represents the kind of tough decision the President and his team will increasingly face on the exit road from the crisis.

   U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he would support a new election in Venezuela, after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also floated the idea, despite rebuffs from Venezuela's ruling party and its opposition which both claim victory in the July 28 contest.

2. Repercussion, or beating back.

   Examples

   the strong rebuff of some tumultuous cloud

Verb

1. To refuse; to offer sudden or harsh resistance; to turn down or shut out.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Related words

   rebuffal

   Examples

   More examples (3)

   The plaque (2014) doesn't tell you that Leonard [Woolf] had initially been rebuffed. His intended proposal was refused by Virginia [Woolf to be], who then had a change of heart.

   Lawyers for CBS News are rebuffing a legal threat from Donald Trump over the network’s “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, telling the former president his demands are based on a “faulty premise.”

   “If you have rule of the bureaucrat — if the bureaucracy is in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk said during his 30-minute appearance with Trump, where he rebuffed critics who said he’s the one undermining democratic institutions.

Verb

1. To buff again.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Related words

   repolishrewaxrewipe

Noun

1. a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)

   Synonyms

   slight

   Broader terms

   discourtesyoffenseoffenceoffensive activity

2. an instance of driving away or warding off

   Synonyms

   snubrepulse

   Broader terms

   rejection

Verb

1. reject outright and bluntly

   Synonyms

   snubrepel

   Broader terms

   rejectspurnfreeze offscornpooh-poohdisdainturn down

   Examples

   She snubbed his proposal

2. force or drive back

   Synonyms

   repelrepulsefight offdrive back

   Broader terms

   fightopposefight backfight downdefend

   Examples

   repel the attacker

   fight off the onslaught

   More examples (1)

   rebuff the attack