denial Hear it!

denial definition

de·nial (dē nī′əl, di-)

noun

  1. the act of denying; a saying “no” (to a request, demand, etc.)
  2. a statement in opposition to another; contradiction the denial of a rumor
  3. the act of disowning; repudiation the denial of one's family
  4. a refusal to believe or accept (a doctrine, etc.)
  5. Psychol. an unconscious thought process whereby one allays anxiety by refusing to acknowledge the existence of certain unpleasant aspects of external reality or of one's thoughts, feelings, etc.: now often in the phrase in denial
  6. self-denial
  7. Law the opposing by a defendant of a claim or charge against him or her

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

law denial definition - legal

medical denial definition - medical

denial Synonyms

denial

n.

  1. Refusal to recognize a situation

    disavowal, forswearing, repudiation, contradiction, disclaiming, disclaimer, abnegation, rejection, refutation, negation, retraction, recantation, dismissal, renunciation, dismissing, disowning, disaffirmation, refusal to recognize, refusal to acknowledge, disbelief.

    Antonyms acknowledgment*, avowal*, confession. *

  2. Refusal to give consent

    rejection, veto, dissent, disapproval; see opposition 2, refusal.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

denial Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • attack: Some denial of service attacks exist due to buggy software.

Converse of object

  • distribute: A distributed denial of service attack on the NHL Web site took it off the air for several days, 21 through 25 May.

Adjective modifier

  • vehement: However with two other players receiving the same message later in the night and their vehement denials further investigation was required.

Noun used with modifier

  • holocaust: Holocaust denial per se is not an offense in the United Kingdom.
denial usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

denial quotes

Qui timide rogat, docet negare. Who makes timid requests, invites denial.

-Seneca full name Lucius AnnaeusSeneca called theYounger

denial quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"denial." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/denial>

APA Style

denial. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/denial

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