denial

noun de·ni·al \ di-ˈnī(-ə)l , dē- \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: denial in a Sentence

Definition of denial

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 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

See denial defined for English-language learners

See denial defined for kids

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

Hamilton County Magistrate Todd Ruetz entered a denial of the charges, the equivalent of a not-guilty plea.

— Washington Post, "Boy in Indiana school shooting hears charges, denial entered," 11 June 2018
Hamilton County Magistrate Todd Ruetz entered a denial of the charges, the equivalent of a not-guilty plea.

— tom davies, The Seattle Times, "Boy in Indiana school shooting hears charges, denial entered," 11 June 2018
And even the glimpse of redemption on the final page is a denial of pat narratives.

— mark athitakis, latimes.com, "A sensational ill wind blows through Lauren Groff's short story collection, 'Florida'," 8 June 2018
Speaking to Diario de Sevilla, Joaquin Caparros was fairly coy about the likelihood of any move taking place, though the comments from the club official certainly didn't feel like a denial.

— SI.com, "Arsenal Given Boost in Move for Sevilla Midfielder as Director of Football Comments on Rumour," 7 June 2018
Their cluelessness results from a complete denial of how Donald Trump works, fueled by a confirmation bias that seeks only to prove their negative point.

— Fox News, "President Trump, Kim Jong Un set to meet in Singapore for historic summit," 7 June 2018
Additionally, a second Postlewaite and Netterville account working on the audit, Philip Gunn, indicated last month that a extension denial from the state could spell trouble for the Sewerage & Water Board's bond rating.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "Sewerage & Water Board poised to seek risky audit extension," 5 June 2018
White House aides dodged questions about whether tapes existed, but never offered a full denial.

— marshall cohen, CNN, "Five times an incendiary pro-Trump claim on Russia fell flat," 19 May 2018
Wednesday's ruling was a denial of Kath's attempt to vacate the previous anti-SLAPP ruling.

— gil kaufman, Billboard, "Alice Glass Comments on Judge's Denial of Ex-Crystal Castles Defamation Case: 'He Lost and Owes Me $$'," 18 May 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1528

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

denial Synonyms

DENIAL Defined for English Language Learners

denial

noun

Definition of denial for English Language Learners

: a statement saying that something is not true or real : a statement in which someone denies something
psychology : a condition in which someone will not admit that something sad, painful, etc., is true or real
: the act of not allowing someone to have something

DENIAL Defined for Kids

denial

noun de·ni·al \ di-ˈnī-əl \

Definition 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

noun de·ni·al \ di-ˈnī(-ə)l \

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

Law Dictionary

denial

noun de·ni·al \ di-ˈnī-əl \

legal Definition of denial

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 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.