- denial
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/di nuy"euhl/, n.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. Psychol. an unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by denying thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable.[1520-30; DENY + -AL2]Syn. 1. disavowal, disclaimer, repudiation.Ant. 1. admission, acknowledgment, confession.
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Universalium. 2010.