denial

/dɪˈnaɪəl/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈnaɪəl/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈnī(-ə)l dē-/ (ame, mw)

denial — 名詞

  • denialsingular
  • denialsplural

1. A spoken or written reply stating that a claim about a fact or event is wrong.

1.名詞B2
釋義

否認；駁斥

表示某說法不屬實的聲明

A spoken or written reply stating that a claim about a fact or event is wrong.

例句

The company issued a strong denial of the news reports about its money problems.

該公司強烈否認了關於其財務問題的新聞報導。

issue + denial of [report/claim]

When the newspaper printed the story, Tuan sent a formal denial to the editor.

報紙刊登那篇報導後，Tuan 向編輯寄了一封正式的否認信。

formal denial (adjective collocation)

同義詞
  • refutation

    more formal and technical; implies evidence-based disproving

  • contradiction

    focuses on asserting the opposite, may not be official

  • rebuttal

    formal response that argues against a claim in detail

反義詞

文法句型

denial of [noun/phrase]

denial that [clause]

make a denial

issue a denial

用法筆記

Countable when referring to a specific statement. Often used with the verbs issue, make, or publish. The preposition of introduces the thing being denied; a that-clause introduces the denied proposition.

常見錯誤

❌The government is in denial of the corruption claims.
✅The government issued a denial of the corruption claims.
💡'in denial' refers to a psychological state (sense 4), not a formal statement.

2. A firm statement that you did not do something that others have accused you of.

2.名詞B2
釋義

否認犯行

堅稱自己未做某事

A firm statement that you did not do something that others have accused you of.

例句

Walid repeated his denial of the theft, even when shown the security video.

即使監視器畫面就在眼前，Walid 仍一再否認自己偷了東西。

denial + of [crime]

Christopher continued to make denials about breaking the window at school.

Christopher 不斷否認在學校打破窗戶的事。

make denials about [action]

同義詞
  • disavowal

    stronger and more formal; implies rejecting any connection or responsibility

  • disclaimer

    a public statement denying responsibility

反義詞

文法句型

denial of [wrongdoing/guilt]

denial that [clause of accusation]

make denials

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about denying personal involvement in an action, not denying the truth of a general fact or claim. The object is typically a wrongdoing (theft, fraud, attack).

常見錯誤

❌His denial of the scientific theory was well argued.' (should be sense 1)
✅His denial of the robbery was supported by witnesses.
💡accusations of personal actions belong to this sense; claims about general facts belong to sense 1.

3. A situation where someone says no to a request or does not allow someone to have

3.名詞B2
釋義

拒絕

不同意給予申請或權利

A situation where someone says no to a request or does not allow someone to have what they asked for.

例句

The bank's denial of Ada's loan application came as a big disappointment.

銀行拒絕 Ada 的貸款申請，讓她大失所望。

denial + of [application/request]

Vinícius's request for extra time off received a brief denial from the manager.

Vinícius 申請額外休假，但經理只給了他簡短的拒絕。

同義詞
  • refusal

    broader and more common in everyday contexts; can be formal or informal

  • rejection

    often implies the person or thing is not good enough, not just disallowed

  • veto

    a specific type of denial by a person in authority

反義詞
  • approval

    agreement that a request may proceed

  • grant

    giving someone what they asked for

文法句型

denial of [request/application]

denial of [right/access/permission]

用法筆記

Common in official and administrative contexts (visa denial, loan denial, permit denial). Less common in everyday refusal situations — for a simple 'no' to an informal request, refusal is more natural.

常見錯誤

❌My mother's denial of my request for a later bedtime upset me.
✅My mother's refusal of my request for a later bedtime upset me.
💡for everyday, informal refusals by individuals, use 'refusal' rather than 'denial'.

4. The condition of not admitting to yourself that a difficult or upsetting fact is

4.名詞B2
釋義

否認（心理）

不願接受痛苦事實的狀態

The condition of not admitting to yourself that a difficult or upsetting fact is real.

例句

Obi is in denial about his father's illness, even after the test results came back.

Obi 仍然拒絕接受父親生病的現實，即使檢查報告已經出爐。

in denial about [unpleasant reality]

After Haruto's wife died, he kept her clothes in the closet and told neighbors she would be back soon.

Haruto 的妻子過世後，他把她的衣服留在衣櫃裡，告訴鄰居她很快就會回來。

in denial about death; avoiding reality

同義詞
  • self-deception

    the act of making yourself believe something that is not true

  • avoidance

    keeping away from something unpleasant, broader than psychological denial

反義詞

文法句型

in denial (about [subject])

be in denial

denial of [painful truth]

用法筆記

Almost always uncountable. The fixed phrase in denial (about + noun/gerund) is the most common pattern. This sense is used in both everyday language and clinical psychology contexts. Unlike sense 1, this cannot be used with a that-clause as a direct grammatical pattern.

常見錯誤

❌The suspect was in denial about the robbery.
✅The suspect denied committing the robbery.
💡'in denial' describes a psychological state of avoiding painful reality, not simply saying something is false. Use sense 2 (denial of involvement) for formal accusations.

5. A situation in which a person acts against the moral rules or principles that th

5.名詞C1
釋義

背離

行為違背自身信念

A situation in which a person acts against the moral rules or principles that they claim to believe in.

例句

A pacifist joining the army would be a denial of everything they believe in.

對一位和平主義者來說，參軍就是背離自己的一切信念。

a denial of [one's beliefs/principles]

Gita saw her brother's career in advertising as a denial of their family's values.

Gita 認為哥哥選擇廣告業，是背離了他們家族的價值觀。

同義詞
  • betrayal

    stronger and more emotional; implies disloyalty to people, not just ideas

  • abandonment

    focuses on giving up beliefs rather than acting against them

反義詞
  • upholding

    maintaining or supporting one's principles

  • adherence

    sticking to one's beliefs or rules

文法句型

a denial of [one's principles/values/beliefs]

用法筆記

Typically used in formal or evaluative writing. The object is nearly always an abstract noun: principles, values, beliefs, ideals, promises. Often carries a tone of moral judgment.

6. The practice of choosing not to satisfy your own desires or needs, especially so

6.名詞C1
釋義

克己

犧牲個人利益以成就他人

The practice of choosing not to satisfy your own desires or needs, especially so that other people can benefit.

例句

The monk's life of denial included giving up all personal possessions and comforts.

那名僧侶過著克己的生活，放棄了所有個人財物與享受。

life of denial

During the war, citizens lived a life of denial by accepting very small food portions.

戰爭期間，民眾靠著接受極少的食物配給來過著克己的生活。

同義詞
  • self-denial

    the more common compound form; identical meaning

  • self-sacrifice

    giving up something for others, often with greater personal cost

  • abstinence

    specifically not doing something (e.g., not drinking alcohol), narrower than denial

反義詞

文法句型

denial of [oneself/one's needs]

self-denial

denial as [virtue/practice]

用法筆記

This sense is often expressed as the compound noun self-denial. It carries a positive or noble connotation when the sacrifice is for moral or altruistic reasons. Negative or neutral connotations are more common in the compound form.