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denial - 7 dictionary results

de⋅ni⋅al

  [di-nahy-uhl]
Use denial in a Sentence
–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.
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.
Origin:
1520–30; deny + -al 2

Synonyms:
1. disavowal, disclaimer, repudiation.

Antonyms:
1. admission, acknowledgment, confession.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To denial
de·ni·al   (dĭ-nī'əl)   
n.  
  1. A refusal to comply with or satisfy a request.
    1. A refusal to grant the truth of a statement or allegation; a contradiction.
    2. Law The opposing by a defendant of an allegation of the plaintiff.
    3. A refusal to accept or believe something, such as a doctrine or belief.
    4. Psychology An unconscious defense mechanism characterized by refusal to acknowledge painful realities, thoughts, or feelings.
    1. A refusal to accept or believe something, such as a doctrine or belief.
    2. Psychology An unconscious defense mechanism characterized by refusal to acknowledge painful realities, thoughts, or feelings.
  4. The act of disowning or disavowing; repudiation.
  5. Abstinence; self-denial.

[From deny.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Denial

De*ni"al\, n. [See Deny.]

1. The act of gainsaying, refusing, or disowning; negation; -- the contrary of affirmation.

You ought to converse with so much sincerity that your bare affirmation or denial may be sufficient. --Bp. Stillingfleet.

2. A refusal to admit the truth of a statement, charge, imputation, etc.; assertion of the untruth of a thing stated or maintained; a contradiction.

3. A refusal to grant; rejection of a request.

The commissioners, . . . to obtain from the king's subjects as much as they would willingly give, . . . had not to complain of many peremptory denials. --Hallam.

4. A refusal to acknowledge; disclaimer of connection with; disavowal; -- the contrary of confession; as, the denial of a fault charged on one; a denial of God.

Denial of one's self, a declining of some gratification; restraint of one's appetites or propensities; self-denial.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : denial
Spanish: denegación,
German: das Leugnen,
Japanese: 否定
More Translations »

denial 
1528, see deny. Meaning "unconscious suppression of painful or embarrassing feelings" first attested 1914 in A.A. Brill's translation of Freud's "Psychopathology of Everyday Life"; popularized 1980s in phrase in denial.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: de·ni·al
Pronunciation: di-'nI-&l
Function: noun
1 : refusal to grant or allow something <denial of due process> <denial of a motion>
2 a : 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
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.
ar·gu·men·ta·tive denial
/"är-gy&-'men-t&-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
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Main Entry: de·ni·al
Pronunciation: di-'nI(-&)l
Function: noun
: a psychological defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personalproblem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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denial de·ni·al (dĭ-nī'əl)
n.
An unconscious defense mechanism characterized by refusal to acknowledge painful realities, thoughts, or feelings.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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