Definition of denial
1 : refusal to satisfy a request or desire the denial of privileges
2a (1) : refusal to admit the truth or reality of something (such as a statement or charge) their denial of the divine right of kings (2) : assertion that an allegation is false her denial that she was involvedb : refusal to acknowledge a person or a thing : disavowal his denial of his youngest son
3 law : the opposing by the defendant of an allegation (see allegation 2) of the opposite party in a lawsuit their denial of the plaintiff's allegations
4 : self-denial … a man in denial about his receding hairline. — Playboy
5 logic : negation 1b
6 psychology : a 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
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Examples of denial in a Sentence
She issued a flat denial of the charges made against her.
The accusations have met with angry denials from school officials.
The city government has been heavily criticized for its denial of the seriousness of the situation.
The hardest part of the punishment was the denial of his right to see his children.
The group is protesting the denial of voting rights to convicted felons.
The lawyers were disappointed by the court's denial of their motion to dismiss the case.
Recent Examples of denial from the Web
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His opinion came in the case of a U.S. citizen seeking to challenge the denial of her Afghan husband’s visa application.
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The city staff report notes that a similar proposal surfaced in 2001 but the Plan Commission at that time recommended denial.
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Robert Murray seeks to overturn a unanimous jury verdict and Criminal District Judge Keva Landrum-Johnson's denial of a new trial in the case for which former Tulane linebacker Trent Mackey was acquitted nearly four years ago.
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Two weeks ago, residents objected to Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry's denial of their petition to intervene on court proceedings between the U.S. Department of Justice, EPA and parties responsible for the contamination.
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A New Jersey town will pay an Islamic group $3.25 million to settle a lawsuit over its denial of a permit to build a mosque.
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A New Jersey town will pay an Islamic group $3.25 million to settle a lawsuit over its denial of a permit to build a mosque, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
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A New Jersey town will pay an Islamic group $3.25 million to settle a lawsuit over its denial of a permit to build a mosque, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
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Despite denials from Mr. Hostey’s brother, Junade, officials believe that Mr. Abedi and Mr. Hostey knew each other before Mr. Hostey left for Syria in 2013.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'denial'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of denial
see deny
First Known Use: 1528
DENIAL Defined for English Language Learners
denial
playDefinition of denial for English Language Learners
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: a statement saying that something is not true or real : a statement in which someone denies something
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psychology : a condition in which someone will not admit that something sad, painful, etc., is true or real
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: the act of not allowing someone to have something
DENIAL Defined for Kids
denial
playDefinition of denial for Students
1 : a refusal to give or agree to something asked for a denial of the request
2 : a refusal to admit the truth of a statement a denial of the accusation
3 : a refusal to accept or believe in someone or something He repeated his denial of the existence of ghosts.
4 : a cutting down or limiting a denial of his appetite
Medical Dictionary
denial
playMedical 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
Law Dictionary
denial
playLegal Definition of denial
1 : refusal to grant or allow something denial of due process denial of a motion
2a : an assertion that an allegation is false b : a defense asserting that an opposing party's allegations are false — compare affirmative defense at defense 2a, traverse Editor's note: Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, allegations that are not denied are taken as admitted, and a statement that a party has insufficient knowledge or information to form a belief as to the truth of an allegation is taken as a denial. A denial must sufficiently state which allegations or parts of allegations are being denied. argumentative denial \ˌär-gyə-ˈmen-tə-tiv-\ : a denial that asserts facts inconsistent with an allegation made by an adverse party general denial 1 : a denial of all the allegations in a complaint 2 : a denial of all the allegations of a particular paragraph or group of paragraphs in a complaint specific denial 1 : general denial 2 in this entry 2 : a denial of parts of an allegation in a complaint
Learn More about denial
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See words that rhyme with denial Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for denial Spanish Central: Translation of denial Nglish: Translation of denial for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of denial for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about denial
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