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

• refusal
• rejection

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 on the Web

In the newest chapter in the struggle to preserve Oak Flat, currently a campground about 60 miles east of Phoenix, grassroots group Apache Stronghold asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its past denial and agree to hear what many religious leaders call a pivotal religious rights case. —Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 13 July 2025

That denial was corroborated by Secret Service documents, the report found. —July 13, CBS News, 13 July 2025

The lawmakers have sued over the denial, saying that DeSantis’ administration is impeding lawmakers’ oversight authority. —Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025

Newsom, longstanding denials notwithstanding, has been viewed as a presidential candidate for years now. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

deny + -al entry 2

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing denial

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

Rhymes for denial

• mistrial
• posttrial
• pretrial
• retrial
• dial
• rial
• thiol
• trial
• vial
• sensorial
• supervisorial

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