de·ni·al·ist
di-ˈnī(-ə)l-ist 
dē-
plural denialists
: a person who denies the existence, truth, or validity of something despite proof or strong evidence that it is real, true, or valid : someone who practices denialism
For those of us who prefer to remain based in reality, the denialists represent a conundrum. Plenty of them are intelligent and educated—yet they just will not accept scientific findings as true.—
Dan Hurley
Dan Hurley"Scientists tell them inconvenient things," said Jerry Taylor, president of the Niskanen Center, a centrist research organization, and former climate change denialist who now advocates for the acceptance of climate science.—Lisa Friedman and Brad Plumer
Lisa Friedman and Brad PlumerThe AIDS denialists use pseudoscience and non-peer-reviewed Internet postings to bolster their false claims …—John Moore and Nicoli Nattrass
John Moore and Nicoli Nattrass
: or, relating to, or characteristic of denialism or denialists
the denialist movement
denialist views/claims
Denialist officials and commentators who throw up their hands and say "I'm not a scientist" are being disingenuous.—Eugene Robinson
Eugene RobinsonExamples of denialist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
One Justice has the upside-down flag of the insurrectionists flying on his property; another, married to a professional election denialist, enjoys undeclared largesse from a plutocrat.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2024
President Mbeki, as head of state, opened the conference and, to the horror of much of the audience, reiterated his denialist view.
—Stephanie Nolen, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for denialist 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
If Trump loses, election denialists may look to the betting markets as part of their evidence that the race was stolen.
—Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
One Justice has the upside-down flag of the insurrectionists flying on his property; another, married to a professional election denialist, enjoys undeclared largesse from a plutocrat.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Yet for the most part, the denialist arguments have shifted.
—Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2024
President Mbeki, as head of state, opened the conference and, to the horror of much of the audience, reiterated his denialist view.
—Stephanie Nolen, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for denialist
Dictionary Entries Near denialist
Cite this Entry
“Denialist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denialist. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share