rebuff C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /rɪˈbʌf/ UK /rɪˈbʌf/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to reject bluntly or snub She rebuffed his offer of help without a word. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to reject bluntly or snub snubspurnrejectrebukerepulsedecline ↔ Opposites welcomeacceptencourage Etymology AI details From obsolete French rebuffer, from Italian ribuffare ('to reprimand'), from ri- (Latin re-) + buffo ('a puff, gust'), of imitative origin. ribuffare Italian View etymology graph -> Topics Actions & Processes External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # rebuff **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /rɪˈbʌf/ **IPA (UK):** /rɪˈbʌf/ ## Meanings 1. to reject bluntly or snub ## Examples - She rebuffed his offer of help without a word. ## Synonyms - snub - spurn - reject - rebuke - repulse - decline ## Antonyms - welcome - accept - encourage ## Roots and Affixes - Root: ribuffare ## Etymology From obsolete French rebuffer, from Italian ribuffare ('to reprimand'), from ri- (Latin re-) + buffo ('a puff, gust'), of imitative origin. ## AI Etymology Rebuff comes from obsolete French rebuffer, from Italian ribuffare ('to reprimand'), from ri- (Latin re-) + buffo ('a puff, gust'), of imitative origin. The historical chain includes Italian ribuffare. The quoted older senses, "to reprimand" and "a puff, gust", supply the semantic anchors for rebuff. The formation is best read as compound and borrowed: the word rebuff carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a verb, "to reject bluntly or snub". The result is a verb and noun whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization. ## Topics - Actions & Processes markdown