noun / verb

rebuff

rih-BUF/rɪˈbʌf/

A blunt rejection of someone or something.

The woman's cold refusal is a rebuff to the offered handshake.

An older woman coldly refuses a younger woman's offered handshake, raising a firm blocking palm and turning her face away while the younger woman's extended hand hangs unanswered.

Etymology

The 'back' and 'puff' components formed an Italian word meaning 'a snub.' The English verb preserves that sense of sharply repelling people or dismissing what they offer.

In context

Mr Kolber's Teaching0:01

failing to rebuff key arguments or leaving out things that should be part of their rebuttal

Fallacies of Rebuttal: Fallacies of counter-evidence, Ad Hominem, and of Diversion

More examples

The company rebuffs his request for a refund.
Despite repeated rebuffs, she keeps inviting him to lunch.
He rebuffed my apology and told me to leave.

Forms

rebuff · rebuffs · rebuffed · rebuffing

Similar words

snub: Emphasizes a personal slight, often through deliberate disregard.
rejection: Covers turning someone or something down without necessarily being blunt.
refusal: Emphasizes saying no, whether politely or abruptly.