denial

noun de·ni·al \ di-ˈnī(-ə)l , dē- \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 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

That’s the fundamental story here, which is that this economy is growing gangbusters and the market remains in denial.

— Fortune, "'I’ve Never Been This Bullish' on the U.S. Economy, Bank of America Strategist Says," 28 June 2018
Despite denials, Roger Stone has revealed a new contact with a Russian national back in 2016.

— NBC News, "First Read's Morning Clips: Trump tariffs and the Iowa economy," 18 June 2018
The district has requested a copy of its application’s scoring rubric to see what led to the denial, said Marcus Alexander, the district’s director of teaching and learning.

— emily k. coleman, Lake County News-Sun, "Waukegan's preschool program cut nearly in half following state funding denial," 13 June 2018
Some of us remain in denial, embracing soccer or our rival city's biggest sports star, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, to give us another sports outlet in the future.

— andrew nemec, OregonLive.com, "Dear LeBron James, apology not accepted! Love, Portland: Commentary," 7 June 2018
According to People, Disick is perhaps in denial about the breakup, and doesn't believe that Richie is serious.

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Sofia Richie Splits from Scott Disick Following Cheating Claims," 3 June 2018
The International Atomic Energy Agency concluded in 2015 that Tehran— despite denials—pursued a concerted weaponization program until 2003 and continued some of that work until 2009.

— laurence norman, WSJ, "How Fast Iran Could Build a Nuclear Bomb," 8 May 2018
Failure to do so would result in denial of money from the Community Development Block Grant program, which disperses $3 billion annually.

— jeff andrews, Curbed, "Ben Carson sued for delaying an anti-segregation rule—again," 8 May 2018
His twin brother Akash Patel told KPHO-TV that his parents are in denial.

— CBS News, "Arizona plane crash victims seen in video taken before fatal flight's takeoff," 11 Apr. 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.