rebuff

Definition

A sudden resistance or refusal.

Etymology

From obsolete French rebuffer, from Middle French rebuffer (compare French rebiffer (“to rise up, revolt”)), from Italian ribuffare.

Example Sentences

• "He was surprised by her quick rebuff to his proposal."
• "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."