in denial Definition

1. An act of denying or declaring something not to be true.

Thesaurus: contradiction, negation, veto, rebuff, dissent; refusal, rejection.
2. An act of refusing something to someone.
3. An act of refusing to acknowledge connections with somebody or something.

Thesaurus: repudiation, abjuration, renouncement; disclaimer, retraction, disavowal; Antonym: adoption, embrace.

Suffering from a condition which involves the suppression, usually at a subconscious level, of an emotion, truth, etc that is particularly painful or difficult to come to terms with
Example: After the death of his mother, he was in denial for months.