Definition

1. Verb:

   • To deny: To state that something is not true or does not exist; to refuse to accept or acknowledge.
   • To negate: To nullify the effect, truth, or validity of something; to make ineffective or invalid.
   • To refute: To prove a statement, theory, or opinion to be wrong or false.

2. Noun:

   • Negation: The act of denying, nullifying, or refuting something. In logic and grammar, it is the contradiction or opposite of a statement.
   • Denial: A statement that something is not true or did not happen.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ta phủ định mọi cáo buộc. (He denied all accusations.)
  • Bằng chứng mới phủ định giả thuyết cũ. (The new evidence negates the old hypothesis.)
• Noun:
  • Sự phủ định của anh ấy rất dứt khoát. (His denial was very firm.)
  • "Không" là một từ phủ định. ("No" is a negative word.)

Advanced Usage

• Philosophical Concept ("Negation of the negation"): In dialectical philosophy, it refers to a process where a thesis is negated by an antithesis, which is in turn negated, leading to a synthesis at a higher level.

  • Học thuyết này đề cập đến quy luật phủ định của phủ định. (This doctrine refers to the law of the negation of the negation.)

• Linguistics ("Negative prefix/adverb"): A grammatical element that expresses negation.

  • Tiền tố "bất-" là một tiền tố phủ định trong tiếng Việt. (The prefix "bất-" is a negative prefix in Vietnamese.)

Variants and Related Words

• Từ phủ định (n): Negative word (e.g., - no, - not).
• Câu phủ định (n): Negative sentence.
• Phủ nhận (v): A close synonym meaning to deny or repudiate.

Synonyms

• Deny: To state that one refuses to admit the truth or existence of.
• Negate: To cause to be ineffective or invalid.
• Refute: To prove to be false or erroneous.
• Contradict: To assert the opposite of a statement.

Related Idioms

• Phủ định sạch trơn: To flatly deny everything; to completely refute all points.
  • Bị cáo phủ định sạch trơn mọi lời khai của nhân chứng. (The defendant flatly denied all the witness's testimony.)

1. negative