Dictionary

deniability en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /dɪˌnaɪ(j)əˈbɪlɪti/ (UK)

Etymology

Etymology tree English deny Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin -abilitas Middle French -abletébor. Middle English -ablete English -ability English deniability From deny + -ability.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) The condition of being deniable.
   • No longer is plausible deniability acceptable, either for boards or for management. Corporate and nonprofit boards alike are expected to know of problems that are brewing deep within their organizations. 2014 October 8, Davia Temin, “The Role Of Boards In Crisis”, in Forbes, retrieved 08 Jun 2015:
2. (countable) The extent to which something is deniable.
   • These infamous little green men appeared during the decisive seizures or buildings and facilities, only to disappear when associated militias and local troops arrived to consolidate the gains. In this way they provided a measure of deniability—however superficial or implausible—for Moscow.⁴⁰ 2014, “Little Green Men”: A Primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013–2014, Fort Bragg, North Carolina: The United States Army Special Operations Command, page 43:

Forms

Deriveds

undeniability · plausible deniability

Translations (10)

de Bestreitbarkeit (condition) · ru отрицаемость (condition) · cy gwadadwyedd (extent) · fi kiistettävyys (extent) · cy gwadadwyedd (condition) · de Abstreitbarkeit (extent) · ka უარყოფადობა (condition) · de Abstreitbarkeit (condition) · pl zaprzeczalność (condition) · fi kiistettävyys (condition)