Undeniably

How to spell undeniably

10 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce undeniably

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does undeniably mean?

1. adverbIn a way that cannot reasonably be questioned or disputed.

Undeniably in a sentence

• The new offices are undeniably more spacious than the old ones.

• Her contribution to the project was undeniably the most important.

Where does undeniably come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word builds outward from the verb 'deny', which English took through Old French 'denier' from the Latin 'denegare', meaning 'to refuse outright' or 'to say no firmly', formed from 'de-' (an intensifier) plus 'negare' (to say no). By the late medieval period English had 'deny', and writers attached the suffix '-able' to make 'deniable', meaning 'able to be denied', and then added the adverb-forming '-ly'. The result, 'undeniably', emerged by the seventeenth century to mean 'in a way that cannot be argued against'. The same 'negare' root that hides inside 'deny' also gives us 'negative' and 'renege', a useful reminder that the spelling keeps the 'y' of 'deny' turned into an 'i' before the suffix. Knowing that the core is simply 'deny' helps fix the awkward middle, since the word is really just deny plus able plus ly.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• deny (root, from Latin denegare 'to refuse, deny')
• -able (capable of being)
• -ly (adverb suffix)