Definition of "demurral" [de•mur•ral]

• The act of demurring, especially a mild, polite, or considered expression of opposition. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Asked whether Israel might change tack, Yaalon allowed that apologizing to Turkey "might be a debate" in the government and said his demurral was his personal opinion."
• "But what's interesting is to hear the kind of demurral that you heard from Colin Powell earlier on your show, John -- earlier on this show -- saying, "I'm very concerned about this.""
• "When Archie Comics was asked recently to confirm some of the agreements, their response was a polite demurral because their records had been sealed and placed in storage long ago."