refusal

[ri-fyoo-zuhl]

noun

1. an act or instance of refusing. refuse.

2. priority in refusing refuse or taking something; option.

3. complete resistance of a driven pile to further driving.

refusal

/ rɪˈfjuːzəl /

noun

1. the act or an instance of refusing

2. the opportunity to reject or accept; option

Other Word Forms

• prerefusal noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of refusal¹

First recorded in 1425–75, refusal is from the late Middle English word refusell. See refuse ¹, -al ²

Example Sentences

The president’s refusal to be cowed by threatening Russian nuclear behavior is welcome.

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The Council’s refusal to comment has made it open season on speculation and rumors.

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Others that had agreed to share power in 2023 now say Wilders’s refusal to compromise and his undermining of his own government make him impossible to work with.

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The union local that represents the plant workers said late Tuesday it had filed a second unfair labor practices complaint to federal regulators over the company’s “refusal to bargain in good faith.”

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“Further, if you get fired over a refusal to sign, you may even become disqualified from receiving the government’s unemployment benefits program, among other consequences.”

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Related Words

• ban 
• defiance 
• exclusion 
• noncompliance 
• rejection 
• reversal 
• veto