Main Entry: de·ni·al

Pronunciation: \di-ˈnī(-ə)l, dē-\

Function: noun

Date: 1528

1 : refusal to satisfy a request or desire
2 a (1) : refusal to admit the truth or reality (as of a statement or charge) (2) : assertion that an allegation is false b : refusal to acknowledge a person or a thing : disavowal
3 : the opposing by the defendant of an allegation of the opposite party in a lawsuit
4 : self-denial
5 : negation in logic
6 : a psychological defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality

— in denial : refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant <a patient in denial about his health problems>