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 WebAdam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
Now if anyone could figure out Elon Musk’s motivations for personally pushing climate denialist and electric car opponent Vance ever closer to second-in-line for the presidency, and committing $45 million per month to the cause, the story might get even more interesting.
—Bradley Brownell / Jalopnik, Quartz, 16 July 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 
Noun
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
Now if anyone could figure out Elon Musk’s motivations for personally pushing climate denialist and electric car opponent Vance ever closer to second-in-line for the presidency, and committing $45 million per month to the cause, the story might get even more interesting.
—Bradley Brownell / Jalopnik, Quartz, 16 July 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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'denialist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near denialist
Cite this Entry
“Denialist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denialist. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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