denial

de·ni·al

noun \di-ˈnī(-ə)l, dē-\

Definition of DENIAL

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>

Examples of DENIAL

1. She issued a flat denial of the charges made against her.
2. The accusations have met with angry denials from school officials.
3. The city government has been heavily criticized for its denial of the seriousness of the situation.
4. The hardest part of the punishment was the denial of his right to see his children.
5. The group is protesting the denial of voting rights to convicted felons.
6. The lawyers were disappointed by the court's denial of their motion to dismiss the case.

First Known Use of DENIAL

1528

Related to DENIAL

Synonyms

declination, disallowance, nay, no, nonacceptance, refusal, rejection, turndown

Antonyms

allowance, approval, grant, OK (or okay)

Related Words

rebuff, repudiation, repulse, spurn; negative; ban, injunction, veto; deterrence, discouragement, repression, suppression

Near Antonyms

acceptance, accession, acquiescence, agreement, assent, authorization, clearance, concurrence, consent, leave, license (or licence), permission, sanction, sufferance; imprimatur, seal, signature, stamp

Rhymes with DENIAL

abseil, air mile, bass viol, black bile, Blue Nile, decile, erstwhile, exile, Fair Isle, field trial, gentile, high style, hostile, lifestyle, meanwhile, motile, nail file, New Style, old style, Old Style, on file, profile, redial, reptile, show trial, stockpile, time trial

de·ni·al

noun \di-ˈnī(-ə)l\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of DENIAL

: 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