defense vs denial

defense and denial both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
defense	Yes	No	No	No
denial	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, defense and denial are synonyms defined as:

defense and denial: a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him

Other synonyms of defense include defence, demurrer.

As nouns, denial is a hyponym of defense; that is, denial is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than defense:

defense: (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
denial: (psychiatry) a defense mechanism that denies painful thoughts

defense (noun)	denial (noun)
(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies	a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him
the act of defending someone or something against attack or injury	renunciation of your own interests in favor of the interests of others
a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him	the act of refusing to comply (as with a request)
protection from harm	the act of asserting that something alleged is not true
a structure used to defend against attack	(psychiatry) a defense mechanism that denies painful thoughts
the justification for some act or belief
the speech act of answering an attack on your assertions
the defendant and his legal advisors collectively
(sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring
an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires