1
as in refusal
an unwillingness to grant something asked for
our supervisor's denial of unpaid personal leave got mixed reactions from the staff
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rejection
a refusal to confirm the truth of a statement
the senator issued a flat denial of the accusation against her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of denial
What is more pernicious than the denial is the tacit acceptance of his behavior in the community, as the community was the lifeblood of his art.
—
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The topic of earlier denial also came up, with Ciara seemingly calling out Amanda for previously shutting down the rumors directly to her.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 24 Apr. 2026
The court notice was filed April 10, just days before USCIS sent its own denial of her parole application.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026
After decades of denial, most manufacturers acknowledge the impact of carbon-emitting products on climate.
—Jamie Lincoln Kitman, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for denial
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The topic of earlier denial also came up, with Ciara seemingly calling out Amanda for previously shutting down the rumors directly to her.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 24 Apr. 2026
The court notice was filed April 10, just days before USCIS sent its own denial of her parole application.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026
After decades of denial, most manufacturers acknowledge the impact of carbon-emitting products on climate.
—Jamie Lincoln Kitman, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for denial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denial
Noun
-
Stribling transferred to Oklahoma State after Rolovich was fired from Washington State following his refusal to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Kid Line of Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten and James Hagens drew raves from Sturm in the first two games up in Buffalo for its details and refusal to be cowed by the hostile environment in Buffalo.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Yet spiritually agnostic voters may take comfort in Talarico’s rejection of Paxton’s willful mix of Church and state.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
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The process of peer review is often shrouded in secrecy to allow colleagues to criticize one another without professional repercussions, but one paper found that special issues tend to have faster turnaround times for articles, as well as lower rejection rates.—
Anil Oza,
STAT,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Denial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denial. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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