negation
noun
ne·ga·tion ni-ˈgā-shən 
1
a
: the action or logical operation of negating or making negative
b
: a negative statement, judgment, or doctrine
especially : a logical proposition formed by asserting the falsity of a given proposition see Truth Table
2
a
: something that is the absence of something actual : nonentity
b
: something considered the opposite of something regarded as positive
negational
ni-ˈgā-sh(ə-)nəl
adjective 
Synonyms
- contradiction
- denegation
- denial
- disallowance
- disavowal
- disclaimer
- disconfirmation
- rejection
- repudiation
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
issued specific negations of all of the charges against her a ruling by the Supreme Court that many regarded as a negation of the basic right of privacy
Recent Examples on the Web For Levé, the point of writing is not just expression but also its negation. 
David L. Ulin, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 But as the story rushes to a close, her narrator lands on something else entirely: negation. Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2022 Yet white supremacy offers up multiple forms of negation—targeting Blacks, Jews, Natives, immigrants—that can be pitched against one another. Philip Deloria, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 At stake was not a fact of perception but the epistemological status of negation—the philosophical meaning and value of assertions about nothing. The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2022 To build a world in the fullest sense of the word requires an almost Buddha-like commitment to self-negation and indeterminacy. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 8 June 2022 This is poetry of the will written by the will to celebrate the will even in its perversity and negation. The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 She was used to asserting herself through negation, absence, and will finally feel alive. Holly Jones, Variety, 25 Apr. 2022 Abramović’s art lends itself, almost agonizingly, to Freudian readings; her parents’ emotional abuse led Abramović to self-effacing performance that borders on self-negation, seeking a sense of control. Ana Cecilia Alvarez, The Atlantic, 1 May 2022 See More
David L. Ulin, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 But as the story rushes to a close, her narrator lands on something else entirely: negation. Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2022 Yet white supremacy offers up multiple forms of negation—targeting Blacks, Jews, Natives, immigrants—that can be pitched against one another. Philip Deloria, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 At stake was not a fact of perception but the epistemological status of negation—the philosophical meaning and value of assertions about nothing. The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2022 To build a world in the fullest sense of the word requires an almost Buddha-like commitment to self-negation and indeterminacy. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 8 June 2022 This is poetry of the will written by the will to celebrate the will even in its perversity and negation. The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 She was used to asserting herself through negation, absence, and will finally feel alive. Holly Jones, Variety, 25 Apr. 2022 Abramović’s art lends itself, almost agonizingly, to Freudian readings; her parents’ emotional abuse led Abramović to self-effacing performance that borders on self-negation, seeking a sense of control. Ana Cecilia Alvarez, The Atlantic, 1 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English negacioun "denial, negative assertion," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French negaciun, borrowed from Latin negātiōn-, negātiō "denial, refusal," from negāre "to deny, say no" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at negate
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
negation
noun
1
as in denial
a refusal to confirm the truth of a statement issued specific negations of all of the charges against her Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- denial
- rejection
- disavowal
- contradiction
- repudiation
- refutation
- disconfirmation
- denegation
- disallowance
- disproof
- rebuttal
- disclaimer
- negative
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- confirmation
- acknowledgment
- acknowledgement
- admission
- declaration
- affirmation
- assertion
- avowal
- concession
- confession
- testimony
- validation
- documentation
- testament
- corroboration
- substantiation
- attestation
2
as in abolition
the doing away with something by formal action a ruling by the Supreme Court that many regarded as a negation of the basic right of privacy Synonyms & Similar Words
- abolition
- repeal
- nullification
- dissolution
- abrogation
- invalidation
- dismissal
- abolishment
- avoidance
- cancellation
- defeasance
- cancelation
- annulment
- elimination
- voiding
- quashing
- reversal
- rejection
- abatement
- revocation
- removal
- withdrawal
- prohibition
- abortion
- rescindment
- erasure
- override
- veto
- suspension
- overruling
- outlawing
- banning
- retraction
- forbiddance
- overturn
- eradication
- liquidation
- enjoining
- recall
- countermand
- calling off
- disallowance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- legislation
- enactment
- establishment
- institution
- formalization
- legitimation
- validation
- founding
- ratification
- approval
- passing
- legalization
- indorsement
- legitimization
- endorsement
- authorization
- permission
- clearance
- commandment
- prescription
- ordering
- sanctioning
- decreeing
- mandating