noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   An abrupt rebuff, a snub or curt rejection, a disdainful dismissal.

   "A halfhearted “thank you” may be a brush-off."

2. 2
   a curt or disdainful rejection wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

brushcold shouldercutdismissalrebuffrefusal

Example

More examples

"A halfhearted “thank you” may be a brush-off."

Etymology

Deverbal from brush off.

Related phrases

give someone the brush-off

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.