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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to spurn
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rebuff
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
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
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
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The federal court approved the dismissal under federal and state statutes, finding that federal law had frequently been used to interpret Illinois' Minimum Wage Law.—
Jenna Schweikert,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
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But consistently responding to others’ progress with dismissal, denial, or defensiveness is usually a red flag, experts say.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Police are investigating it as an overdose, spurned by the mistaken purchase of fentanyl instead of a different white powdery substance.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
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The application will test an agency that has promised to speed new gene-editing treatments to patients but has recently come under scrutiny from regulators, executives, and advocates for spurning a string of gene therapies for neurological diseases.—
Jason Mast,
STAT,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Big 12 Player of the Year Olivia Miles said the snub could benefit the Horned Frogs.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Mar. 2026
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The series creator was asked about Dane’s ostensible snub in an interview with Entertainment Tonight after the event.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In character as a free spirit who scorns social convention, Davis is all haughty tosses of the head and sneering lines.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
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With assistance from Pittsburgh engineer Don Gilmore, the chapel received a new foundation, roof, columned porch, and was bestowed with historical status—all of which helped shift Evans City’s perspective on the film that, until then, some locals had scorned.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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Because that man is going out of his way to remind everyone why, exactly, he is universally disdained.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
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These differences contributed to the distrust and disdain the Ottomans held toward the Alawite community, highlighting broader sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shi’a groups within the Ottoman Empire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Cuban government rejection was first reported by The Washington Post.—
MATTHEW LEE,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
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The manosphere’s celebration of Kamala Harris’ defeat — framed not just as a political victory but as a rejection of female leadership itself — reflects a broader erosion of gender equality.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the executives from several of the vendors that built out the state’s four-region 911 system encouraged the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management to reject Cal OES’ decision to transition to the statewide design.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
18 Mar. 2026
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Easier, maybe, to imagine Blume rejecting the general proposition of an author biography, which seeks to root a subject’s work in their specific experiences, dislodging them from a supposedly neutral or unmarked position.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rebuff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rebuff. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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