Idiom
non-denial denial
Meaning
A statement which appears to deny that something is true, but which, when examined carefully, can be seen to have used diversion, bluster, or ambiguity to avoid making a clear, direct denial.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The politician gave a non-denial denial when asked about the scandal.”
“Instead of answering the question directly, the CEO offered a non-denial denial that left everyone wondering if the rumors were actually true.”
“The spokesperson skillfully employed a non-denial denial, using vague language to deflect accountability while carefully avoiding any explicit confirmation of the alleged misconduct.”
Examples
simple
“The politician gave a non-denial denial when asked about the scandal.”
contextual
“Instead of answering the question directly, the CEO offered a non-denial denial that left everyone wondering if the rumors were actually true.”
complex
“The spokesperson skillfully employed a non-denial denial, using vague language to deflect accountability while carefully avoiding any explicit confirmation of the alleged misconduct.”
Key words
- Updated