denial vs sanction

denial

noun
  • A disownment or disavowal 

  • An assertion of untruth. 

  • Refusal to believe that a problem exists. 

  • A defense mechanism involving a refusal to accept the truth of a phenomenon or prospect. 

  • Refusal to admit responsibility for wrongdoing. 

  • A refusal or failure to provide or grant something that is requested or desired. 

  • Negationism, denialism of historical facts or accepted interpretation. 

  • The negation in logic. 

sanction

verb
  • To penalize (a state etc.) with sanctions. 

  • To ratify; to make valid. 

  • To give official authorization or approval to; to countenance. 

noun
  • An approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid. 

  • A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body. 

  • A law, treaty, or contract, or a clause within a law, treaty, or contract, specifying any of the above. 

How often have the words denial and sanction occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )