negation

American  

[ni-gey-shuhn] / nɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of denying.

   He shook his head in negation of the charge.

2. a denial.

   a negation of one's former beliefs.

3. something that is without existence; nonentity.

4. the absence or opposite of something that is actual, positive, or affirmative.

   Darkness is the negation of light.

5. a negative statement, idea, concept, doctrine, etc.; a contradiction, refutation, or rebuttal.

   a shameless lie that demands a negation.

---

negation British  

/ nɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. the opposite or absence of something

2. a negative thing or condition

3. the act or an instance of negating

4. logic

   1. the operator that forms one sentence from another and corresponds to the English not

   2. a sentence so formed. It is usually written –p, ~p, ̄p or ⇁ p , where p is the given sentence, and is false when the given sentence is true, and true when it is false

---

Other Word Forms

• negational adjective
• negationist noun
• nonnegation noun
• renegation noun

Etymology

Origin of negation

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin negātiōn-, stem of negātiō “denial”; equivalent to negate + -ion

Explanation

A negation is a refusal or denial of something. If your friend thinks you owe him five dollars and you say that you don’t, your statement is a negation. A negation is a statement that cancels out or denies another statement or action. "I didn't kill the butler" could be a negation, along with "I don't know where the treasure is." The act of saying one of these statements is also a negation. Some negations can be good news, like “No, you don’t have a cavity” or “No, that report isn’t due today.”

Example Sentences

In an array of communications, ranging from advertising to legal filings, negation is often used intentionally to mask a clear understanding of a phrase.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2024

The negation of LeBron James is not related to sports, rather it is a cultural stain.

From Salon • Apr. 20, 2024

“You’re not going to have enough current to light up a child’s lightbulb project at a science fair,” he informed Marlon, who did not take such negation well.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

But the statement can be translated quickly if you know that “∧” stands for “and at the same time” and that “¬” is a negation.

From Scientific American • Sep. 12, 2023

The sarcastic question “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?” reminds us that negation is perfectly easy for people to handle in everyday speech.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• antithesis
• renunciation
• repudiation