leugnen
Er leugnet die Vorwürfe.
He denies the allegations.
to state that something is not true or did not happen, often despite evidence to the contrary
Sie leugnet, das Dokument gesehen zu haben.
She denies having seen the document.
Er leugnet seine Schuld.
He denies his guilt.
Common in legal, personal, and political contexts. Often implies resistance to accepting responsibility.
to refuse to acknowledge or accept something as valid or real
Die Regierung leugnet die Existenz des Problems.
The government denies the existence of the problem.
Used for abstract concepts like problems, facts, or emotions.
Collocations
Synonyms
Pro Tip
Common mistake: Verbs of denial
Don't confuse leugnen with 'leugnen' (to lie) or 'lügen' (to tell a lie). Leugnen specifically means 'to deny', not to fabricate a lie.
Gold Rule
Conjugation pattern
Leugnen is a regular verb in German. Its past participle is 'geleugnet'. Example: 'Er hat die Anschuldigung geleugnet.' (He denied the accusation.)
Word Origin
From Old High German *liugnen*, from Proto-Germanic *leuganą* (to lie), related to English 'lie' and 'low'. The verb has been part of German since at least the 8th century.
Usage Notes
Leugnen is stronger than abstreiten (to dispute) and implies a more active refusal to accept reality. It often carries a negative connotation of dishonesty or avoidance of responsibility.