denial

/dɪˈnaɪ.əl/

refusal to admit the truth

She was in denial about her addiction.

She refused to admit she had a problem.

general

Refusal to admit the truth or reality of something, often due to psychological defense mechanisms.

The patient was in denial about his diagnosis.

He refused to accept that he was seriously ill.

The company's denial of the scandal only made the situation worse.

Their refusal to acknowledge the scandal damaged their reputation.

Often used in psychology to describe a coping mechanism where a person rejects an unpleasant reality.

general

An act of refusing to grant something requested or desired.

The bank's denial of the loan left them with no options.

The bank refused to approve their loan application.

Less common usage, often in formal or legal contexts.

Collocations

in denialrefusing to accept a truthdenial of servicea cyberattack that makes a system unavailable

a cyberattack that overwhelms a system to make it unavailable

In psychology, 'denial' often refers to avoiding an unpleasant truth. In formal contexts, it can mean a refusal of a request.

Always consider the context when using 'denial'—it can have different nuances in psychological, legal, or everyday language.

From Middle English 'denyal', from Old French 'denial', from Latin 'denegare' (to deny).

Commonly used in psychological contexts to describe avoidance of reality. Can also refer to formal refusals in legal or bureaucratic settings.

deny

to refuse to admit

root

-al

relating to

suffix

English Dictionary