denying

verb

present participle of deny
1
as in refuting
to declare not to be true the congressman denied all charges of wrongdoing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refusing
to be unwilling to grant the director denied access to the top secret files to all but those with a need to know

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rejecting
to refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as one's responsibility in a futile attempt to get out of the contract, he even denied his own signature

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of denying The film follows a daughter trying to accompany her mother through her final stage, navigating the challenge of remaining close without denying the loss or imposing a particular way of experiencing it. — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026 Ridley Scott’s representatives are denying the recent report that the director blamed his Gladiator II star Paul Mescal for the film’s underwhelming box office numbers. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026 LeVota responded days later with his own letter, denying the allegations, criticizing Garza’s performance and accusing her of trying to build a case for a lawsuit. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026 There’s no denying that the fall 2026 runways made a strong case for color; even the street style scene is on board, slipping into colorful shoes and sporting handbags in a variety of vibrant shades—baby pink, chartreuse, and cobalt. — Laura Jackson, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026 The Defense Ministry later issued a second statement denying a claim by the Iranian army that the Al Minhad Air Base in Dubai had been targeted. — David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Meta has agreed to make a number of changes to the way Instagram and Facebook operate for its youngest users, while denying any wrongdoing. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 28 Aug. 2026 Sheffield issued a statement to the Free Press late the same day of the Enjoyer’s post, denying taking any kickbacks and saying Walker never received city contracts or funds. — Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2026 The decisions did not eliminate the public-charge test or prevent officers from denying visas on that basis. — María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denying
  1. refuting
  2. refusing
  3. rejecting
  4. contradicting
  5. declining
  6. disavowing
  7. criticizing
  8. disowning
Verb
  • Brittany Howard, the band’s lead singer and charismatic frontwoman, has spent much of the past decade refuting that notion.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2026
  • So thankful to Alabama Athletics for refuting it on my behalf.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of refuting
Verb
  • Biscayne 21’s declaration — the document that establishes the condominium — required a unanimous vote to terminate the building’s condo association, a goal that seemed unlikely with a group of residents refusing to sell.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Court records show Romo was cited for refusing to take a test for intoxication and first offense OWI.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of refusing
Verb
  • A lot of communities across the country are rejecting new data centers.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The council then has the final say in approving — or rejecting — Lucas’ nomination.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of rejecting
Verb
  • Finally, leaders who have inconsistent messaging—giving one instruction today and contradicting it tomorrow—create confusion, frustration and uncertainty.
    — Don Weber, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But only states have the power to put these proposals into practice—and many state policy makers, concerned that the White House is contradicting existing research, aren’t keen to follow its guidance.
    — Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of contradicting
Verb
  • The Republican party has promised a return to the good ol’ days, with strong nuclear families at the crux and a fight against the declining birth rate.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Additionally, the drug supply is always changing, with the potency of fentanyl declining in recent years.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • But as a candidate for governor, Hong had softened her tone while not disavowing her past statements.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Progressive leaders on Monday sought to validate the success of Platner’s campaign in energizing Maine voters while disavowing Platner.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of disavowing
Verb
  • Republican lawmaker Carl DeMaio of San Diego has vocalized his opposition in discussions of the bill, criticizing the idea of providing funding to outlets that make political endorsements.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Yiannopoulos rose to prominence through his provocative statements criticizing political correctness, feminism and Islam.
    — Chris Arnold, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of criticizing
Verb
  • Hong Kong's stablecoin licensing further illustrates this, approving only HKD tokens while publicly disowning any CNH stablecoin claims.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The platforms that helped usher in the generative AI boom are now trying to clean up the mess without disowning the technology behind it.
    — Angela Yang, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of disowning

Browse Nearby Words

deny
denying
deodorize
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Denying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denying. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All