Denies

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Refuses to acknowledge or admit a fact or request ; states that a claim or statement is false
2. Rejects the truth or existence of something asserted or requested ; asserts that something did not happen or is untrue
3. Expresses unwillingness to accept or grant something ; negates or contradicts an allegation or belief

Etymology: "Denies" is the third-person singular form of "deny", so the history belongs to the verb itself. It arrived in Middle English from Old French "denoier", meaning to refuse or disown, which in turn came from Latin "denegare", built from "de-", meaning away, and "negare", to refuse or say no. That Latin root carries a whole sense of refusal in its making. "Negare" is the same root that gives English "negative" and "negate", so a denial is, at heart, a firm "no" sent away. The verb's meaning has stayed close to that core: to refuse what is asked, or to declare that something is not so.

Synonyms: refuses, rejects, disclaims, contradicts, dismisses

Antonyms: acknowledges, accepts, admits, confirms, affirms