Denial Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms denial American [dih-nahy-uhl] / dɪˈnaɪ əl /

noun

1. an assertion that something said, believed, alleged, etc., is false.

   Despite his denials, we knew he had taken the purse. The politician issued a denial of his opponent's charges.

   Synonyms: repudiation, disclaimer, disavowal Antonyms: confession, acknowledgment, admission

2. refusal to believe a doctrine, theory, or the like.

3. disbelief in the existence or reality of a thing.

4. the refusal to satisfy a claim, request, desire, etc., or the refusal of a person making it.

5. refusal to recognize or acknowledge; a disowning or disavowal.

   the traitor's denial of his country; Peter's denial of Christ.

6. Law. refusal to acknowledge the validity of a claim, suit, or the like; a plea that denies allegations of fact in an adversary's plea.

   Although she sued for libel, he entered a general denial.

7. sacrifice of one's own wants or needs; self-denial.

8. Psychology. an unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by denying thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable.

denial British / dɪˈnaɪəl /

noun

1. a refusal to agree or comply with a statement; contradiction

2. the rejection of the truth of a proposition, doctrine, etc

   a denial of God's existence

3. a negative reply; rejection of a request

4. a refusal to acknowledge; renunciation; disavowal

   a denial of one's leader

5. a psychological process by which painful truths are not admitted into an individual's consciousness See also defence mechanism

6. abstinence; self-denial

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• nondenial noun
• predenial adjective
• redenial noun

Etymology

Origin of denial

First recorded in 1520–30; deny + -al 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I suspect Tuason deeply relates to Evy, to the disassociation of living with death every day, and uses her resistance to explore denial.

From Los Angeles Times

The denial, if not overturned at the county level, means the school will have to shut down at the end of the school year.

From Los Angeles Times

“OK, but you can explain that, right? You can tell him you never agreed to that one, and you only wrote ‘ew’ because you were in denial.

From Literature

In addition, the group estimated that more than 11,000 Venezuelans have been subject to arbitrary restrictions of their freedom in a judicial system long criticized for its denial of due process.

From The Wall Street Journal

In my book “Failure to Treat,” I wrote about the denial of an exercise echocardiogram for one patient and how those delays in care proved catastrophic.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• disapproval
• rebuttal
• rejection
• repudiation
• retraction
• veto

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.