denial

noun

de·​ni·​al di-ˈnī(-ə)l 

dē-

1

: refusal to satisfy a request or desire

the denial of privileges

2

a(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 involved

b

: 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 sense 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 sense 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

Phrases

in denial

: refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant

a patient in denial about his health problems

Synonyms

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

Example Sentences

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.

See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Vasilevskiy was otherwise immense, stopping a Zacha break-in, a Krejci chance off a turnover, a blocker denial of a Patrice Bergeron one-timer, and Matt Grzelcyk’s walk-in chances from the left and right wings. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Jan. 2023

Although it wasn’t planned, Mitchell-Delmotte realized her songs reflected the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. —Diane Bellcolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Jan. 2023

The good and interesting thing about The Son is that the internal fractures, the sense of double lives, denial, and memory, feel acute in the look and style of the movie. —K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 19 Jan. 2023

After sharing her diagnosis, she was also met with doubt, denial, and gaslighting—something Black women tend to face in the healthcare system, at the workplace, and out in the world at large. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 18 Jan. 2023

As heartbreaking as her words are, the sentiment behind them is the direct result of a two-year campaign of denial, gaslighting, mudslinging and harassment against Megan that’s reached its crescendo with this trial. —Tayo Bero, refinery29.com, 21 Dec. 2022

And so, despite denial, grief, bargaining, anguish and even nausea, the Great Deaccession commenced. —Karen Heller, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Dec. 2022

In an ideal world, you're supposed to experience one loss, then feel each stage of grief in order: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. —Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, 15 Dec. 2022

The goals of bad actors can vary: disruption, extortion, ransom, retaliation, denial of service, or simply warning of their attack capabilities. —Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2022

See More

Word History

Etymology

deny + -al entry 2

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing denial

• climate change denial
• self-denial
• in a state of denial
• distributed denial of service
• climate denial
• in denial

• climate change denial
• self-denial
• in a state of denial
• distributed denial of service
• climate denial
• in denial

Kids Definition

denial

noun

de·​ni·​al di-ˈnī(-ə)l 

1

: a refusal to grant something asked for

2

: a refusal to admit the truth of a statement : contradiction

a flat denial of the charges

3

: a refusal to accept or believe in something

make a public denial of political beliefs once held

4

: a cutting down or limiting of a person's own desires or activity

denial of one's appetite

Medical Definition

denial

noun

de·​ni·​al di-ˈnī(-ə)l 

: 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

Legal Definition

denial

noun

de·​ni·​al di-ˈnī-əl 

1

: refusal to grant or allow something

denial of due process

denial of a motion

2

a

: an assertion that an allegation is false

b

: a defense asserting that an opposing party's allegations are false compare affirmative defense at defense sense 2a, traverse

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

: a denial of all the allegations in a complaint

: a denial of all the allegations of a particular paragraph or group of paragraphs in a complaint

— specific denial

: general denial in this entry

: a denial of parts of an allegation in a complaint