DENIAL

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does denial mean? 

• DENIAL (noun)
  The noun DENIAL has 5 senses:

1. the act of refusing to comply (as with a request)

2. the act of asserting that something alleged is not true

3. (psychiatry) a defense mechanism that denies painful thoughts

4. renunciation of your own interests in favor of the interests of others

5. a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him

  Familiarity information: DENIAL used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DENIAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of refusing to comply (as with a request)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

it resulted in a complete denial of his privileges

Hypernyms ("denial" is a kind of...):

speech act (the use of language to perform some act)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "denial"):

abnegation (the denial and rejection of a doctrine or belief)

naysaying (the act of saying no to a request)

negative (a reply of denial)

refusal (the act of refusing)

disavowal; disclaimer (denial of any connection with or knowledge of)

Derivation:

deny (refuse to grant, as of a petition or request)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of asserting that something alleged is not true

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

denial; disaffirmation

Hypernyms ("denial" is a kind of...):

assertion; asseveration; averment (a declaration that is made emphatically (as if no supporting evidence were necessary))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "denial"):

negation (the speech act of negating)

Derivation:

deny (declare untrue; contradict)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(psychiatry) a defense mechanism that denies painful thoughts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("denial" is a kind of...):

defence; defence mechanism; defence reaction; defense; defense mechanism; defense reaction ((psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires)

Domain category:

psychiatry; psychological medicine; psychopathology (the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Renunciation of your own interests in favor of the interests of others

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

abnegation; denial; self-abnegation; self-denial; self-renunciation

Hypernyms ("denial" is a kind of...):

forgoing; forswearing; renunciation (the act of renouncing; sacrificing or giving up or surrendering (a possession or right or title or privilege etc.))

self-sacrifice; selflessness (acting with less concern for yourself than for the success of the joint activity)

Derivation:

deny (deny oneself (something); restrain, especially from indulging in some pleasure)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

defence; defense; demurrer; denial

Context example:

he gave evidence for the defense

Hypernyms ("denial" is a kind of...):

due process; due process of law ((law) the administration of justice according to established rules and principles; based on the principle that a person cannot be deprived of life or liberty or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguards)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "denial"):

entrapment (a defense that claims the defendant would not have broken the law if not tricked into doing it by law enforcement officials)

Holonyms ("denial" is a part of...):

trial ((law) the determination of a person's innocence or guilt by due process of law)

Derivation:

deny (deny formally (an allegation of fact by the opposing party) in a legal suit)

 Context examples 

Fanny was too urgent, however, and had too many tears in her eyes for denial; and it ended in a gracious “Well, well!” which was permission.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

It was really amazing, for everyone seemed in a heavenly frame of mind, and self-denial was all the fashion.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

All this, in frankness, to show my first impression, after long denial of women in general and of Maud Brewster in particular.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I refused him as long as I possibly could, but he would take no denial.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

“Oh, Master Copperfield,” he said, with an air of self-denial, “my reading is hardly to be called study. I have passed an hour or two in the evening, sometimes, with Mr. Tidd.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

She would not take a denial.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

It was absolutely certain, therefore, in spite of her denial, that she must know something of the matter.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Now seriously, what have you ever known of self-denial and dependence?

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

I extremely dislike altering my habits, but the powers that be would take no denial.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The attack involved targeting Dyn's domain name system servers with a large volume of requests, rendering it incapable of serving replies to legitimate requests — a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack.

(Distributed malware attacks Dyn DNS, takes down websites in US, Wikinews)