refusal

noun

ri-FYOO-zuhl/ɹɪˈfjuːzl̩/

2 meanings of refusal

1
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of saying no to something offered or asked of you.
Like shaking your head when someone offers you food you don't want.
His refusal to help left us on our own.
She met every request with a quick refusal.
Similarrejection, denial, rebuff, veto
Oppositeacceptance, agreement, consent
Note
2
noununcountable
The depth where drilling for a well cannot go any deeper.
Like a shovel that hits solid rock and can't dig any deeper.
The crew hit refusal at thirty feet and stopped drilling.
Hard rock caused refusal before they reached the water.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English refusell. It comes from 'refuse' plus '-al'.