rebuff 1 of 2

Definition of rebuffnext
as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly took her rebuff in stride, and still greeted her cousin with a friendly smile the next time they met

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rebuff

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rebuff
Noun
The latest rebuff of state overreach was the dismissal last week of the highly questionable felony case against respected Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly brought by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026 Braced by that humiliating rebuff, the Service wasted no time in getting serious and rallying around reform. Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
Tess, who's on the bus rebuffing yet another apology from Orson, spots Jamison walking by. Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026 The president’s budget request has repeatedly proposed cutting the NSF’s budget by more than half, which so far have been rebuffed by Congress. Shalin Jyotishi, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for rebuff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuff
Noun
  • The insensitive promotion was swiftly canceled, leading to the CEO's dismissal, a public apology, and mandatory history training for 24,000 employees.
    Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • But the European Court of Justice dismissal on Thursday marks the end of that process.
    ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Beulah's spurned heir Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba) calls up the mysterious Mariana (Raoul Max Trujillo) to help with his many problems, which include his ranch-usurping half-brother Rob-Will and those Duttons from Montana.
    Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Labour spurned the chance to tell a positive story about the need to hike taxes to mend Britain’s public services, gutted by years of Conservative austerity.
    Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • Minions & Monsters nods to the Academy snubs with a recurring gag imagining a Minion director receiving a Golden Banana trophy.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 26 June 2026
  • He’s never played for Team Canada in a best-on-best, including a snub this year despite career-best production.
    Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • That lineage become a source of attention and scorn for the 33-year-old first time candidate, who created what critics called out as a sometimes outlandish social media personality to generate attention.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 24 June 2026
  • Gerardo Ortiz What’s a música mexicana festival without a bit of yearning and scorned romance?
    Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026
Noun
  • Using basic academic terminology would place grants at risk of rejection or termination on political grounds.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
  • That persisted into 2026 amid disagreements over the Russian war on Ukraine, including Meloni’s rejection of a proposal by Britain and France to send European troops there following a possible ceasefire.
    ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • The title character disdains the common folk, and the play’s complicated political discussion and harsh, jagged poetry aren’t what most picnicking playgoers are after.
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • Raised in a household of voracious readers in suburban Philadelphia, her father a professor of Spanish at the University of Pennsylvania and her mother having worked for magazines, Sebold disdained the university’s frat culture.
    Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Critics see it as another attempt to breathe life into claims that courts, investigators and election officials have repeatedly rejected — and another corrosive attempt to undermine faith in the state’s vote.
    Adam Beam, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
  • Questioning, if not rejecting, established Christian doctrine, Ahab also comes to regard Moby Dick as the outward and visible sign, the physical embodiment of the indifference or, worse, utter malignity inherent in the universe.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • Hamas’ statement made no mention of disarmament, one of the key requirements under the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which the group has so far refused.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • To conceal the theft from his investors, Correia refused to disclose his company’s financial records and gave false positive updates on SnoOwl’s status.
    Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 6 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuff. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on rebuff

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster