denial
Americannoun
-
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
-
refusal to believe a doctrine, theory, or the like.
-
disbelief in the existence or reality of a thing.
-
the refusal to satisfy a claim, request, desire, etc., or the refusal of a person making it.
-
refusal to recognize or acknowledge; a disowning or disavowal.
the traitor's denial of his country; Peter's denial of Christ.
-
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.
-
sacrifice of one's own wants or needs; self-denial.
-
Psychology. an unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by denying thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable.
noun
-
a refusal to agree or comply with a statement; contradiction
-
the rejection of the truth of a proposition, doctrine, etc
a denial of God's existence
-
a negative reply; rejection of a request
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a refusal to acknowledge; renunciation; disavowal
a denial of one's leader
-
a psychological process by which painful truths are not admitted into an individual's consciousness See also defence mechanism
-
abstinence; self-denial
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of denial
Explanation
A denial is a refusal, and often means a refusal to believe or accept something as the truth. "When asked if he ate the powdered doughnut, he gave a flat denial. Since his face was covered with powdered sugar, the denial was ludicrous." To be "in denial" is to be fooling yourself about the reality of your situation. If you stay up late watching TV on the eve of your AP Biology final, you are probably in denial about your lack of preparation for the test. Now, "self-denial is a whole other thing; that is when someone puts others first: "During the drought, Mary made sure all her neighbors had enough water and she lived in a state of self-denial — relying on Mountain Dew as her only source of hydration."
Vocabulary lists containing denial
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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Game Changer
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But the increase in the denial rate is worrisome.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The senator’s ability to compartmentalize, once his political superpower, became his ruin, morphing into outright denial.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
He has worked on numerous cases involving Afghans and other migrants who alleged "ill-treatment, push-backs, denial of access to asylum procedures, and forced returns" around the Iran-Turkey border region.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
But the pendulum swung and we’re back to days of “Driving Miss Daisy” denial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
I made a motion to reconsider the denial of a new trial for Mr. McMillian.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Travel-insurance comparison sites like Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip have staffers to help file claims and appeal denials.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Despite Beijing’s denials, these provisions directly contradict China’s constitution, which guarantees different nationalities within China the right to their own languages and customs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
He said what they had been put through by Donaldson's denials was "wicked".
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
“The extremely high overturn rate indicates that some enrollees were initially denied medically necessary care and raises concerns about denials that were not appealed,” according to the report, from the U.S.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Even if we charitably explain their denials as due to the shortsightedness of the specialist and the man with an interest this does not mean we must accept them as qualified witnesses.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
