deny To deny is to say "no" or reject the possibility or existence of something. - Jim denies taking money from the cash register. (Jim’s supervisor said he did it, but Jim says he didn’t do it.)
- Kathryn denied a job offer because the salary wasn’t high enough.
- The bank denied our application for a mortgage.
- To deny a person a job because of gender or ethnicity is illegal in the United States.
- Richard denies the existence of global warming. He refuses to even consider the possibility of it.
"Deny" is a verb that is often used in the passive voice: - Sarah’s application for a loan from the bank was denied.
- The young man was denied parole from prison because of his behavior.
- Abdi was denied the opportunity to get a good education when he was young because a civil war broke out in his country.
- The allegation of murder was denied by the suspect.
The noun form of "deny" is "denial." - Martha is in denial after the cancer diagnosis. (She refuses to believe the doctor’s diagnosis is correct.)
- The denial of the existence of global climate change is a dangerous phenomenon among people in industrialized countries–especially in the United States.
Click here to go to the Word of the Day page. First published on December 6, 2012 |