the.com/deny
The verb of the locked door, the shaken head, and the airtight alibi.
means To refuse something, or to declare a statement false, depending on whether you're guarding a thing or a truth.
from From Latin denegare, to refuse fully, where de- intensifies negare, to say no — a no with conviction behind it.
Grief stageDenial leads the famous five-stage parade.
Legal cousinPleading not guilty is a formal denial.
Self-denialTurning the no inward, toward your own wants.