denial
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.
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.
Origin of denial
1Other 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
What should be open and shut — an airtight case of inciting an insurrection — has become yet another exercise in disingenuous denial.
The managers, as they indicated, will therefore urge the senators to make the “adverse inference” that his denials laid out in his defense brief are false.
Republicans can run from accountability, but they can’t hide | Jennifer Rubin | February 5, 2021 | Washington PostBryant said the city plans to apply for another round of relief money, probably early this year, but he worries about another denial.
How the CARES Act Forgot America’s Most Vulnerable Hospitals | by Brianna Bailey, The Frontier | January 26, 2021 | ProPublicaHe’s in denial, or out of sorts, or thinking he’ll get around to it eventually, or whatever.
Carolyn Hax: Husband didn’t share his dad’s cancer diagnosis for a year | Carolyn Hax | January 26, 2021 | Washington PostOne of the ways we push away that knowledge is with straight-up denial.
But what can be done, if climate denial is, in part, a religious belief?
But if religious beliefs are fueling climate denial, then religious approaches are necessary to oppose it.
A better taxonomy would break us up by words like Acceptance, Partial denial, and Total denial.
This is a case where delay is denial—with potentially deadly results.
My Insurance Company Killed Me, Despite Obamacare | Malcolm MacDougall | November 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAbout 300,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, and their relationship to the state is an almost perfect dance of denial.
After the Israel Synagogue Massacre: A New Intifada? | Michael Tomasky | November 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST"I should judge your hens ain't layin' well, figurin' on the size of the basket," said the old man, ignoring her denial.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydAnd she saw at once that he had done nothing of the sort; saw it without any more decisive denial.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodA stronger man would have fought against odds like those and won for himself a place that would suffer no denial.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydBut valiant as their denial, the Chesters watched the surveyors depart with sore misgivings.
Dorothy at Skyrie | Evelyn RaymondInfidels feel the power of this manifestation of God in His word; and are driven to every possible denial of the fact.
Gospel Philosophy | J. H. Ward
British Dictionary definitions for denial
/ (dɪˈnaɪəl) /
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
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
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
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