1
as in refusal
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
our supervisor's denial of unpaid personal leave got mixed reactions from the staff
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rejection
a refusal to confirm the truth of a statement
the senator issued a flat denial of the accusation against her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of denial
Wiki Commons Of course, this being climate change with its endless climate denial, some people were quick to claim the news as evidence that climate change was always a hoax.
—
Adam Frank, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
The report on denials found that UnitedHealthcare, CVS Health and Humana had the highest denial rates for those services, in some cases rejecting prior authorization requests more than 70% of the time.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 11 June 2026
Others reported witnessing judgmental comments, gossiping, staff intentionally violating patient privacy, staff wanting to punish the patients for their actions and denial of pain management during labor.
—Karli Swenson, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
If you are denied a visa, in most cases you will be notified of which section of the law applies to your denial, as outlined by the Department of State website.
—Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for denial
Adam Frank, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
The report on denials found that UnitedHealthcare, CVS Health and Humana had the highest denial rates for those services, in some cases rejecting prior authorization requests more than 70% of the time.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 11 June 2026
Others reported witnessing judgmental comments, gossiping, staff intentionally violating patient privacy, staff wanting to punish the patients for their actions and denial of pain management during labor.
—Karli Swenson, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
If you are denied a visa, in most cases you will be notified of which section of the law applies to your denial, as outlined by the Department of State website.
—Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for denial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denial
Noun
-
Wilson was devastated by losing debates about the design of Congress and the presidency, and in particular by the convention’s refusal to acknowledge the centrality of regular people to the government.—
Jesse Wegman,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2026
-
Roosevelt’s refusal settled, for a century, that in America only the people are sovereign.—
Gautam Mukunda,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
Noun
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This finding specifically held true for people with fearful and preoccupied attachment styles, two subtypes of insecure attachment associated with a craving for intimacy but, respectively, a deep fear of it or a fear of rejection and abandonment.—
Rachel Nuwer,
Scientific American,
20 June 2026
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Someone with anxious attachment may worry about rejection, seek excessive reassurance or feel uncertain about the stability of relationships.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Denial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denial. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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