denial

[ dih-nahy-uhl ]
See synonyms for denial on Thesaurus.com
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.

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

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

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

  3. refusal to recognize or acknowledge; a disowning or disavowal: the traitor's denial of his country; Peter's denial of Christ.

  4. 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.

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

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

Origin of denial

1
First recorded in 1520–30; deny + -al2

Other words for denial

Opposites for denial

Other words from denial

  • non·de·ni·al, noun
  • pre·de·ni·al, adjective
  • re·de·ni·al, noun

Words Nearby denial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use denial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for denial

denial

/ (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

  1. a negative reply; rejection of a request

  2. a refusal to acknowledge; renunciation; disavowal: a denial of one's leader

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

  4. abstinence; self-denial

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