refusal
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of saying no to an offer, a request, or an invitation.
the act of declining or rejecting something offered, requested, or required.
Simple“Her refusal to help with the project made the rest of the team very angry.”
In context“The diplomat's flat refusal of the proposed terms led to an immediate breakdown in the peace negotiations.”
UsageOften followed by 'of' plus a noun or 'to' plus an infinitive verb.
PitfallHis refusal for the job surprised us. His refusal of the job surprised us.Use 'of' or 'to' after refusal. You refuse 'of' an offer or give a refusal 'to' a request.
Antonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
the point where a drill cannot go any deeper into the ground.
the depth or specific point at which a borehole or well cannot be advanced further due to hard rock or technical limits.
Simple“The drill hit refusal at fifty meters because of the solid granite layer.”
In context“The engineering report noted that the piling reached refusal much earlier than anticipated, suggesting a shallow bedrock profile.”
UsagePrimarily used in geological engineering and oil industries.
“But of those, 27.5% were refused – a refusal rate three times higher than in any other member state, and far higher than the EU average of 3%-4%.”
“Hungerford says that child poverty is a key driver of vaccine refusal; parents who have to worry about bills often don't have the brain space to think about immunisations, he says.”
From Middle English refusell; equivalent to refuse + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.