I. -ˈnī(ə)l noun
( -s )
Etymology: deny + -al
1. : refusal to grant, assent to, or sanction : rejection of something requested, claimed, or felt to be due
denial of his visiting privileges
denial of passports to undesirables
2.
a. : refusal to admit the truth of a statement, charge, or imputation : assertion that something alleged is untrue
his denial that he took the money
her denial that her son was involved
b. : refusal to accept or acknowledge the reality or validity of a thing or idea
his denial of the divine right of kings
3. : refusal to acknowledge a person or thing as standing in a certain relationship or as having a certain character : disavowal , repudiation
a renegade's denial of his leader
the baron's denial of his weakling son
4. : the opposing by the defendant of an allegation of the opposite party in a law suit
5. dialect England : hindrance , handicap , disadvantage
his lame hand was a great denial to him
6. : a restriction or limitation upon one's own activity or desires : self-denial
the three thousand which he had hoarded at the price of sacrifice and denial — William Faulkner
7. : a bridge bid indicating inability to raise or support a partner's bid
8. logic : negation
II. noun
: 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