disallowance

Intermediate (B1)

IPA: /ˌdɪsəˈlaʊəns/

KK: /dɪsəˈlaʊəns/

noun

Definition

The act of refusing to allow something or taking away permission.

Example

The disallowance of the proposal surprised many members of the committee.

Conversation

Did you hear about the disallowance of the new policy at work?

Yeah, it was such a surprise!

I thought it would really help us improve things.

Me too, but I guess they had their reasons for the disallowance.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

prohibition

forbiddance

refusal

Antonyms

approval

permission

allowance

Root Explanation

Disallowance → It is formed from "dis-" (meaning apart or not) and "allow" (from Old French *alouer*, meaning to permit or grant). The suffix "-ance" (meaning the state or condition of) indicates the act or state of not allowing. Thus, disallowance refers to the state of not permitting something.

Memory Tip

Think of 'not' ('dis-') allowing something ('allow') — that's why disallowance means the state of not permitting.

Visually Confused Words

misallowance