denier

[ dih-nahy-er ]

/ dɪˈnaɪ ər /

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noun

a person who denies.

a person who refuses to accept the existence, truth, or validity of something despite evidence or general support for it: The writer is a Holocaust denier.It makes no sense for an environmental watchdog agency to hire a denier of climate change.Election deniers continue to question the integrity of the ballot counts.

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Origin of denier

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; deny + -er¹

usage note for denier

The words denier and denialism are used to describe people and positions that are opposed to the validity or veracity of an explanation or narrative put forth by an authority or expert. The words are commonly used in fixed compounds that truncate the name of the official account being called into question. Thus, a denier of climate change is often called a climate denier, and a movement that refuses to accept the integrity or official results of an election is referred to as election denialism. These expressions become fixed in their shortened form, and are often then associated with a specific counternarrative, rather than broadly applying to any and all denial associated with the modifying word (e.g., climate, election, evolution, genocide).

Words nearby denier

denialism, denialist, denial-of-service, denial-of-service attack, denied, denier, denigrate, denigration, Deniker, denim, denimed

Other definitions for denier (2 of 2)

denier²

[ duh-neer or, especially for 1, den-yer; French duh-nyey ]

/ dəˈnɪər or, especially for 1, ˈdɛn yər; French dəˈnyeɪ /

noun

a unit of weight indicating the fineness of fiber filaments and yarns, both silk and synthetic, and equal to a yarn weighing one gram per each 9,000 meters: used especially in indicating the fineness of women's hosiery.

any of various coins issued in French-speaking regions, especially a coin of France, originally of silver but later of copper, introduced in the 8th century and continued until 1794.

Origin of denier

1375–1425; late Middle English <Old French <Latin dēnāriusdenarius

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use denier in a sentence

That’s one of the first things Do worried about — his vaccinated staff getting sick from vaccine deniers coming into his restaurant, maskless, pretending they are vaccinated.
No vaccination card? No sitting inside this restaurant.|Petula Dvorak|July 22, 2021|Washington Post
Adan Meza and Socorro Meza Madera — Mayra’s parents — were not covid deniers.
Five days, 100 vaccine doses and a wildfire of conspiracy theories|Jose Del Real|May 28, 2021|Washington Post
Jair Bolsonaro is trying to shed his image as a “coronavirus denier”.
Brazil's Bolsonaro Denied COVID-19 Was a Problem. Now He's Embracing Vaccines. Here's What Changed|Ciara Nugent|March 12, 2021|Time
It’s meant as a symbol of all the climate-change deniers, the wall text says.
Baltimore exhibition of outsider art celebrates nature’s ‘excess’ with a wake-up call about pollution|Kelsey Ables|February 8, 2021|Washington Post

Unfortunately, some have naively suggested that science has unequivocally resolved how reading must be taught to every child and that those who disagree are science deniers.
Is there really a ‘science of reading’ that tells us exactly how to teach kids to read?|Valerie Strauss|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
Inhofe is not just a climate-change denier; he is a warrior for corporate-funded half-truths and outright lies.
If You Think D.C. Is Awful Now, Wait Until Wednesday|Jonathan Alter|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A weird thing to quibble about, considering he is a moon landing denier.
Dear Moon Landing Deniers: Sorry I Called You Moon Landing Deniers|Olivia Nuzzi|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Specifically, they got all rage-y because I referred to Jones as a “moon landing denier.”
Dear Moon Landing Deniers: Sorry I Called You Moon Landing Deniers|Olivia Nuzzi|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Watson is taking issue—rather impolitely, I might add—with what I consider a moon landing denier.
Dear Moon Landing Deniers: Sorry I Called You Moon Landing Deniers|Olivia Nuzzi|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And The New York Times routinely—and correctly—tags Irving with the Holocaust-denier label.
What Hassan Rouhani Really Said About the Holocaust|Michael Moynihan|September 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Her husband has become a farmer of the huitime denier,270 and made a prodigious fortune in less than six years.
The 'Characters' of Jean de La Bruyre|Jean de La Bruyre
So they left, and heard his shrill curse, when he saw Richard tossed forth never a denier.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
"I have not a denier in my pockets," said the Chevalier, with a short laugh.
The Grey Cloak|Harold MacGrath
In 1721 a copper currency was struck for the colony at the mint of La Rochelle and Rouen of nine denier pieces.
Montreal 1535-1914 under the French Rgime|William Henry Atherton
Very useful in county business Denier, and laid hold of country life wonderfully, understood the obligations of a land-owner.
The History of Sir Richard Calmady|Lucas Malet

British Dictionary definitions for denier (1 of 2)

denier¹

noun

(ˈdɛnɪˌeɪ, ˈdɛnjə) a unit of weight used to measure the fineness of silk and man-made fibres, esp when woven into women's tights, etc. It is equal to 1 gram per 9000 metres

(dəˈnjeɪ, -ˈnɪə) any of several former European coins of various denominations

Word Origin for denier

C15: from Old French: coin, from Latin dēnārius denarius

British Dictionary definitions for denier (2 of 2)

denier²

/ (dɪˈnaɪə) /

noun

a person who denies

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012