Word
refusal
Phoneticsre·fusal
US/ɹəfˈjuzəɫ/
UK/ɹɪfjˈuːsəl/
Definitions
01saying no
n. the act of saying no to an offer, a request, or an invitation.
n. the act of declining or rejecting something offered, requested, or required.
“Her refusal to help with the project made the rest of the team very angry.”
“The diplomat's flat refusal of the proposed terms led to an immediate breakdown in the peace negotiations.”
Usage
Often followed by 'of' plus a noun or 'to' plus an infinitive verb.
Pitfall
His 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
02drilling limit
n. the point where a drill cannot go any deeper into the ground.
n. the depth or specific point at which a borehole or well cannot be advanced further due to hard rock or technical limits.
“The drill hit refusal at fifty meters because of the solid granite layer.”
“The engineering report noted that the piling reached refusal much earlier than anticipated, suggesting a shallow bedrock profile.”
Technical
Usage
Primarily used in geological engineering and oil industries.
Real-World Examples
“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.” Etymology
From Middle English refusell; equivalent to refuse + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/refusal