French Conversation · Level 12
90 words
French word
nier
Pronunciation
IPA/nje/
Meaning
- verbdeny
Example
Il nie les faits.
He denies the facts.
More examples
Elle nie toute responsabilité.
She denies all responsibility.
Core concept
A person pushes away a stated fact or accusation instead of accepting it as true.
Common phrases
nier les faits
deny the facts
nier l'évidence
deny the evidence
nier catégoriquement
categorically deny
Similar words
démentir: Says that a rumor or news report is not true.
contester: Disputes the accuracy of a presented claim.
refuser: Turns down a proposal or request.
rejeter: Rejects a proposal or opinion.
Definition in French
Refuser de reconnaître la vérité d'une information, d'une accusation ou d'une déclaration.
Word origin
French nier comes from Latin negare through Old French, preserving the basic sense of declaring something untrue.
Usage tips
- Nier takes a direct object, as in nier les faits, and can also take an infinitive, as in nier avoir menti.
Other meanings
- negateverb
Opposites
- admettreadmitverb
- reconnaîtreacknowledgeverb
Related words
- renierdisavowverb
- négationnegationnoun