deniability
noun
de·ni·abil·i·ty
dē-ˌnī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē 
: the ability to deny something especially on the basis of being officially uninformed
Examples of deniability in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Now hacking is a major, indispensable component of a full-fledged war, and its practitioners have emerged from a gray zone of plausible deniability into the limelight of military prominence.
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IEEE Spectrum, 10 Apr. 2024
In so doing, both patrons have elevated plausible deniability to a high rhetorical art, signaling their disapproval of their clients’ actions while leaving the underlying relationships unchanged.
—Joost Hiltermann, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2024
Another important unknown is where the drones and missiles would be launched — from Iraq or Syria, which could prompt a thin claim of deniability by Tehran — or from Iranian territory.
—David Martin, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Each employee gets up hesitantly enough to afford them deniability if their king were to declare that anyone leaving ought to be imprisoned, their bodies still facing their cubicles until the final second.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024
While the militias’ autonomy provides Iran with a degree of deniability, analysts say the current escalation is dangerously prone to overreach and miscalculation that could lead to a direct U.S.-Iran conflict.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Feb. 2024
The actions though proxies give Iran a cloak of plausible deniability, said Vakil.
—Susannah George, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024
The possibility of misinterpretation—or plausible deniability—might be part of the appeal of using emoji at work.
—Lora Kelley, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2023
Like so many prophets before and after him, Nostradamus surely understood that one’s reputation as a prognosticator required maintaining plausible deniability — while still reserving the right to claim accuracy later.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023
IEEE Spectrum, 10 Apr. 2024
In so doing, both patrons have elevated plausible deniability to a high rhetorical art, signaling their disapproval of their clients’ actions while leaving the underlying relationships unchanged.
—Joost Hiltermann, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2024
Another important unknown is where the drones and missiles would be launched — from Iraq or Syria, which could prompt a thin claim of deniability by Tehran — or from Iranian territory.
—David Martin, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Each employee gets up hesitantly enough to afford them deniability if their king were to declare that anyone leaving ought to be imprisoned, their bodies still facing their cubicles until the final second.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024
While the militias’ autonomy provides Iran with a degree of deniability, analysts say the current escalation is dangerously prone to overreach and miscalculation that could lead to a direct U.S.-Iran conflict.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Feb. 2024
The actions though proxies give Iran a cloak of plausible deniability, said Vakil.
—Susannah George, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024
The possibility of misinterpretation—or plausible deniability—might be part of the appeal of using emoji at work.
—Lora Kelley, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2023
Like so many prophets before and after him, Nostradamus surely understood that one’s reputation as a prognosticator required maintaining plausible deniability — while still reserving the right to claim accuracy later.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deniability.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deniability
Cite this Entry
“Deniability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deniability. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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