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Glite Dictionary
non-denial denial

non-denial denial

1 8.6
A reply that seems to say no but avoids saying yes or no
  • noun
  • /nɒn dɪˈnaɪəl dɪˈnaɪəl/
  • Literature
translation icon : negación no negada
  • Many critics interpreted her statement as a typical non-denial denial, avoiding the key question altogether.

In any event, this is a non denial denial.

Examples

  • We got a non-denial denial from Clusterfuck immediately.

    Blog text (17)

  • When I repeated the question to Rove, his response morphed into a classic Watergate-like non-denial denial in which he claimed to be "so many layers removed" from such operations that he didn't "recall" the company.

    Blog text (26)

  • The politician's vague response was nothing more than a non-denial denial of the accusations against him.

  • When asked if he was involved, his reply sounded like a non-denial denial rather than a clear answer.

Synonyms

evasion
vsnon-denial denial
12 6.6

An indirect statement that hides an unpleasant truth

seems to deny while mainly avoiding any clear admission or denial
smokescreen
vsnon-denial denial
9 7.1

An action or statement that hides the real reason behind something

seems to deny while instead diverting attention to hide the real issue
dodge
vsnon-denial denial
8 6.1

A clever trick used to avoid answering a question

seems to deny yet instead it simply avoids a clear admission or denial
evasive answer
vsnon-denial denial
  • Jargon
2 8.2

A reply that does not clearly admit or deny an accusation

seems to deny an allegation while avoiding a direct admission or denial
nondenial
vsnon-denial denial
  • Literature
1 9.3

A reply that does not clearly say no when asked and seems like an admission

seems to deny an allegation while actually avoiding a clear admission or denial
bullsheet response
vsnon-denial denial
  • Offensive
9.9

A false or nonsense answer that avoids giving a direct reply

seems to deny while replacing a clear admission or denial with nonsense

Antonyms

affirmation
36 3.8

A positive statement that something is true or good

How Direct

denial
  • Formal
35 6.9
non-denial denial
  • Literature
1 8.6
evasive answer
  • Jargon
2 8.2
nonanswer
  • Literature
7.1

Surface Forms

non-denial denial singular
non-denial denials plural

Morphology

non-denial + denial

The phrase is compositionally built from the negation prefix 'non-' + 'denial' and then repeated as 'denial', so a learner who knows 'non'/'not' and 'denial' can partly infer it means a denial that is actually 'not a denial'. However, the pragmatic nuance—that it appears to deny but in fact avoids confirming or denying—requires discourse/pragmatic awareness and idiomatic use, so the exact interpretation is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without exposure.

Etymology

Non-denial denial puts together non-denial (not saying 'no') and denial (saying something is untrue) to create the image of an answer that sounds like a denial but never clearly says 'no'. So, it means a reply that looks like a denial but actually avoids confirming or denying the question or accusation.