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

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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
The corrupt state judiciary will continue to rebuff the attempts of state Auditor Diana DiZoglio to audit the corrupt state Legislature. Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025 Even the rest of the old-schoolers seem oddly content with the new harmonious state of the world and rebuff Carol’s efforts to mobilize. Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rebuff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rebuff
Noun
  • The dismissal came weeks before the defendant was set to go to trial.
    David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
  • In some ways, even that unceremonious dismissal is an acknowledgement that managers do matter.
    Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • With his plans to cap his college partners at 30, Davis contends that those that spurned Avo’s advances will eventually come to regret it.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026
  • Madison Haley seized an equaliser in the 54th minute with a header at the back post but, even at their sharpest, Brighton lacked a cutting edge, setting up a tense final 10 minutes in which goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was called into three big saves as chances were spurned at the other end.
    Megan Feringa, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Noun
  • Concerns from Senate Republicans over Cornyn snub Senate Republicans warned that Paxton could be a more difficult and expensive general election candidate than Cornyn.
    Luke Fountain, CNBC, 19 May 2026
  • City’s supporters appreciated that snub so much the image appeared this week on a banner made in his honour.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Aronimink has drawn both praise and scorn this week.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 14 May 2026
  • While some painters might feel scorned for being passed over for so long, Lovelace O’Neal said that her late-career recognition was in some ways a blessing.
    Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • Larger than life, his creation repulses and torments him, and Victor spends the rest of his life both running from it and trying to destroy it.
    Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
  • The optical, stop-motion, and puppetry effects alone should make Brain Damage a priority on your watchlist, but Henenlotter’s film excites and repulses on a deeper level.
    Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Verb
  • At his behest Aurangzeb—who disdained poetry—sent agents across India and Persia to assemble a literary circle befitting her.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
  • In Sondheim’s body of work, Okrent searches for the autobiographical resonances that Sondheim himself mostly disdained.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Florida Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin may not have realized it in December, but losing Lane Kiffin to LSU could eventually look less like a rejection and more like a fortunate escape.
    Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
  • Not as punishment or as a rejection of the technology, but as a deliberate change of pace.
    Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Libby Savill, the deputy chair of Southbank Centre, outright rejected the allegations.
    News Desk, Artforum, 19 May 2026
  • That could be fine if people knew when to rely on AIs and when to reject them.
    Gautam Mukunda, Mercury News, 19 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuff. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

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