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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of denial
The decision came after more than four hours of public testimony and council deliberation on USD Clean Fuels’ appeal of a Planning Commission denial.
—
Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
Accusations of corruption Teng’s denials come after the Wall Street Journal reported last week that Binance not only facilitated the settlement of MGX’s investment using USD1, but also assisted in building the technology behind the stablecoin, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
—Elaine Yu,dylan Butts, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
Within its anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) network (which stretches across artificial island outposts and surface vessels), these tools could be tested in low-risk ways.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
The interview drew widespread condemnation from historians, Jewish groups, and members of Congress, who accused Carlson of promoting Holocaust denial and giving a platform to extremist, revisionist views.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for denial
Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
Accusations of corruption Teng’s denials come after the Wall Street Journal reported last week that Binance not only facilitated the settlement of MGX’s investment using USD1, but also assisted in building the technology behind the stablecoin, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
—Elaine Yu,dylan Butts, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
Within its anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) network (which stretches across artificial island outposts and surface vessels), these tools could be tested in low-risk ways.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
The interview drew widespread condemnation from historians, Jewish groups, and members of Congress, who accused Carlson of promoting Holocaust denial and giving a platform to extremist, revisionist views.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for denial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denial
Noun
-
Although the two were mostly in favor of improving revenue-sharing for the teams in over two-plus years of bitter negotiations, the discovery process showed their growing frustration with NASCAR's board of directors over its refusal to make the charters permanent.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
-
And as Deborah Baker’s detailed account reveals, the inability of government officials to recognize the Nazi threat would both echo past failures in this country’s capacity to handle extremism, and forecast its refusal to even try.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The movement is considered a response to the ever-present and growing sense of alienation among people, as well as a rejection of the traditional depictions of everyday life in Eastern Europe.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Cyclosporine Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressant that is used after an organ transplant to prevent organ rejection.—
Jessica Swirble,
Verywell Health,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Denial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denial. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share