# refusal

Pronunciation: say "ri-FYOO-zuhl" /ɹɪˈfjuːzl̩/

## Noun

1. An act of declining something offered, requested, or demanded.
   - Simple: The act of saying no to something offered or asked of you.
   - _Their refusal to sign the contract delayed the entire project._
   - _Repeated refusals from the committee left the proposal in limbo._
2. The depth or point at which drilling a well or borehole can no longer continue.
   - Simple: The depth where drilling for a well cannot go any deeper.
   - _The drillers recorded refusal once the bit struck bedrock._
   - _Refusal was reached at fifteen meters, well above the expected depth._

## Origin

From Middle English refusell, equivalent to the verb 'refuse' combined with the suffix '-al'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/refusal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).