Simple Definition of denial
: 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
Full Definition of denial
1 : refusal to satisfy a request or desire
2 a (1) : refusal to admit the truth or reality (as of a statement or charge) (2) : assertion that an allegation is false b : refusal to acknowledge a person or a thing : disavowal
3 : the opposing by the defendant of an allegation of the opposite party in a lawsuit
4 : self-denial
5 : negation in logic
6 : 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
: refusing to admit the truth or reality of something unpleasant <a patient in denial about his health problems>
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.
First Known Use of denial
DENIAL Defined for Kids
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 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
Legal Definition of denial
1 : refusal to grant or allow something <denial of due process> <denial of a motion>
2a : 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 Editor's 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. argumentative denial \ˌär-gyə-ˈmen-tə-tiv-\ : a denial that asserts facts inconsistent with an allegation made by an adverse party general denial 1 : a denial of all the allegations in a complaint 2 : a denial of all the allegations of a particular paragraph or group of paragraphs in a complaint specific denial 1 : general denial 2 in this entry 2 : a denial of parts of an allegation in a complaint
Learn More about denial
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "denial" Medical Dictionary: Definition of "denial" Spanish Central: Translation of "denial" Nglish: Translation of "denial" for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of "denial" for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about "denial"
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