Refusing to admit or accept something as true, or refusing to give someone something they want.
From Old French 'denier,' from Latin 'denegare' meaning to reject completely. The prefix 'de-' means to do the opposite, so deny means to negate or refuse.
Psychologists study 'denial' (refusing to accept reality) as a defense mechanism—and the roots go deep. People deny things that feel too painful to accept, which is why the word implies emotion, not just disagreement.
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