denial
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denial
The act of deliberately denying a fact, guilt, or an event and claiming that it is not true or did not happen.
Trotz eindeutiger Beweise blieb der Angeklagte bei der Leugnung seiner Tat.
Despite clear evidence, the defendant stuck to the denial of his act.
'Leugnung' (denial) is the nominalization of the verb 'leugnen' (to deny something). The ending '-ung' turns the verb into a feminine noun that describes the action itself.
Er leugnete, das Geld gestohlen zu haben.
He denied having stolen the money.
To express what is being denied, the genitive is usually used. The structure is: 'die Leugnung' (the denial) + genitive object.
Die Leugnung der Tatsachen half ihm vor Gericht nicht.
The denial of the facts did not help him in court.
The word is often used in serious or formal contexts, e.g. in legal, political, or scientific settings. It has a strongly negative connotation.
Die Leugnung des Klimawandels ist ein globales Problem.
The denial of climate change is a global problem.
confession
'Geständnis' and 'Leugnung' are clear opposites. With a 'Geständnis', someone admits that something happened or that they did something themselves. With a 'Leugnung', someone denies exactly that and claims it is not true. Both words fit well with guilt, mistakes, or accusations. So the difference is simple: a 'Geständnis' says yes to the truth or to guilt, while a 'Leugnung' says no to it.
Nach der Nachricht wirkte die Leugnung der Gruppe nicht mehr glaubwürdig.
After the news, the group's denial no longer seemed credible.
Wegen seines Geständnisses konnte die Polizei den Fall schnell abschließen.
Because of his confession, the police were able to close the case quickly.