denial


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Related to denial: Defense mechanisms

a non-denial denial

A statement that seems or is intended to act as a direct denial to an allegation, but which, when taken literally or examined closely, does not deny the allegation at all. The phrase is most commonly associated with evasive answers of politicians facing scrutiny or accusations of misconduct. When pressed by journalists over certain large, undisclosed expenditures he had recently made, the senator gave a classic non-denial denial of any wrongdoing, stating ambiguously that any such spending was simply associated with the running of his campaign. Talk about a non-denial denial. He clearly had a relationship with this woman—now, what exactly was the nature of it? Look, if you don't comment on this, but you also don't deny it, it'll come off like a non-denial denial, and people will think it's true.
See also: denial

be in denial

To be unable or unwilling to believe or acknowledge something as true. The house is in terrible condition, but Carolyn's in denial about it. Are you in denial or something? This is a serious issue! Dude, you're in denial if you think she's actually going to go to prom with you—she already said no.
See also: denial

denial ain't (just) a river in Egypt

cliché A humorous phrase used to highlight the fact that someone is unable or unwilling to believe or acknowledge something as true. (A pun on the colloquial pronunciation of "the Nile.") A: "I mean, I just want to know how she's doing, that's all. I'm totally not still in love with her or anything." B: "Uh huh. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, you know." The boss thinks he can salvage this project by throwing more money at it. Someone should let him know that denial ain't a river in Egypt. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt if Pamela seriously thinks she can get a good grade in this class without handing in any homework.
See also: denial, Egypt, river

denial is not (just) a river in Egypt

cliché A humorous phrase used to highlight the fact that someone is in denial about something. (A pun on the colloquial pronunciation of "the Nile.") A: "I mean, I just want to know how she's doing, that's all. I'm totally not still in love with her or anything." B: "Uh huh. Denial is not just a river in Egypt, you know." The boss thinks he can salvage this project by throwing more money at it. Someone should let him know that denial isn't a river in Egypt. Denial is not just a river in Egypt if Pamela seriously thinks she can get a good grade in this class without handing in any homework.
See also: denial, Egypt, not, river

in denial

Unable or unwilling to believe or acknowledge something as true. The house is in terrible condition, and if Carolyn says it isn't, she's in denial. Are you in denial or something? This is a serious issue! A: "Wait, he never said anything about Margaret breaking up with him." B: "Yeah, that's because he's in denial."
See also: denial

state of denial

A state of inability or unwillingness to believe or acknowledge something as true. The house is in terrible condition, and if Carolyn says it isn't, she's in a state of denial. Are you in a state of denial or something? This is a serious issue!
See also: denial, of, state
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

in denial

in a state of refusing to believe something that is true. Mary was in denial about her illness and refused treatment. Tom doesn't think he's an alcoholic because he's still in denial.
See also: denial
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
Fifty years ago, Richard Nixon transformed this historic heartbeat of denial into an intoxicating political philosophy.
Registration/Eligibility As reflected in the denial data chart, registration/eligibility errors account for the largest percentage of denials, so they represent the best chance to improve overall revenue cycle performance.
A mathematical model based on Absorbing Markov Chain (AMC) [1] was used to detect denial of sleep attack in sensor network.
Following debate at the House legal affairs committee on Monday, the parties took on board Omirou's legislative proposal, but with a modification -- denial of genocide will constitute a criminal offence only where the House resolution recognising that genocide was unanimous.
Usually, a person must believe they have a free will before they can experience a sense of responsibility, feel guilty about a wrong, and resort to denial as a way of coping with the unpleasantness of the guilt.
To note, the bill on criminalizing of the Armenian genocide denial was adopted by the French Senate in 2012.
This determination is usually communicated back to the hospital the same day or the following day via a phone call, faxed log, or faxed denial letter.
What were the legal and factual bases relied on by the government to support that denial? Were the proper legal standards and burdens of proof utilized by USCIS or the US embassy in supporting the denial?
Also, note the use of the word "properly." Sometimes claims that are not covered are denied in an improper way and, until or unless that has been corrected, the claim denial may not stand.
Denial is often considered the final stage of genocide.
In a statement released today, Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang said Najib's denial of signing off RM470 million from 1MDB into BN and Umno accounts contrasted with statements from other leaders in the past.
A federal judge in California has ordered the Trump Administration to reconsider the asylum requests of 87 Iranian refugees--overruling the blanket denial the government had issued to all of them.