Our request for permission to travel met with/received a flat/point-blank (= complete) refusal from the authorities. 我们向当局申请旅游签证，但遭到断然拒绝。
[ + to infinitive ] The government's refusal to see that the protection of the environment must be our first priority today is a great tragedy. 环境保护乃我们当今社会的当务之急，但政府却对此视而不见，实乃一大悲剧。