denial

American  

[dih-nahy-uhl] / dɪˈnaɪ əl /

noun

1. an assertion that something said, believed, alleged, etc., is false.

   Despite his denials, we knew he had taken the purse. The politician issued a denial of his opponent's charges.

   Synonyms:

   repudiation, disclaimer, disavowal

   Antonyms:

   confession, acknowledgment, admission

2. refusal to believe a doctrine, theory, or the like.

3. disbelief in the existence or reality of a thing.

4. the refusal to satisfy a claim, request, desire, etc., or the refusal of a person making it.

5. refusal to recognize or acknowledge; a disowning or disavowal.

   the traitor's denial of his country; Peter's denial of Christ.

6. Law. refusal to acknowledge the validity of a claim, suit, or the like; a plea that denies allegations of fact in an adversary's plea.

   Although she sued for libel, he entered a general denial.

7. sacrifice of one's own wants or needs; self-denial.

8. Psychology. an unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by denying thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable.

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denial British  

/ dɪˈnaɪəl /

noun

1. a refusal to agree or comply with a statement; contradiction

2. the rejection of the truth of a proposition, doctrine, etc

   a denial of God's existence

3. a negative reply; rejection of a request

4. a refusal to acknowledge; renunciation; disavowal

   a denial of one's leader

5. a psychological process by which painful truths are not admitted into an individual's consciousness See also defence mechanism

6. abstinence; self-denial

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Other Word Forms

• nondenial noun
• predenial adjective
• redenial noun

Etymology

Origin of denial

First recorded in 1520–30; deny + -al ²

Example Sentences

If such denials can be made with a straight face, they may carry the day when a prosecution is at stake.

From The Wall Street Journal

The companies contracted to carry out the review process will receive payments when they reduce costs and will be penalized for inappropriate denials, according to CMS.

From MarketWatch

The difference between “decades away” and “here” is usually about 18 months of denial.

From MarketWatch

While the sergeant later denied he made the confession, the commission found his denial to be full of inconsistencies.

From BBC

Systems are trained to provide confident denials rather than acknowledge genuine uncertainty.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• disapproval
• rebuttal
• rejection
• repudiation
• retraction
• veto