gainsaid
ˌgān-ˈsād 
; gainsays
ˌgān-ˈsāz
-ˈsed
; gainsaying
ˌgān-ˈsā-iŋ
; gainsays
ˌgān-ˈsāz
-ˈsez
1
: to declare to be untrue or invalid
2
: contradict, oppose
did not dare to gainsay the king
gainsayer
noun
Did you know?
You might have trouble figuring out the meaning of gainsay if you’re thinking of our modern word gain plus say. It should help to know that the gain part comes to us from the Old English word gēan-, meaning “against” or “in opposition to.” In Middle English, gēan- was joined to seyen (“to say”) to form gein-seyen, which led to the modern word gainsay. So when you see gainsay, think “to say against”—that is, “to deny” or “to contradict.”
Synonyms
Examples of gainsay in a Sentence
it can't be gainsaid that most people wish they had more time and money
repeatedly tried to gainsay me, though every point I made was backed up by facts
Recent Examples on the Web
Within these rules, the CFPB cannot be gainsaid by anyone — not Congress, the Fed or the president.
—
Stephen L. Carter, The Mercury News, 23 May 2024
It cannot be gainsaid that Biden cooperated and Trump obstructed.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 2 Mar. 2024
There’s a way to gainsay that impression — and inform voters of the rivals’ actual positions on the issues: Put the two candidates side by side on a debate stage for an extended period of time.
—Matthew Yglesias, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2024
For those who believe what their eyes tell them, it cannot be gainsaid that the plague of Jew hatred — always a reliable first symptom of a jihad against Western institutions — has been caused by the surrender of our education systems to the antinomian Left and the collapse of border security.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
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Stephen L. Carter, The Mercury News, 23 May 2024
It cannot be gainsaid that Biden cooperated and Trump obstructed.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 2 Mar. 2024
There’s a way to gainsay that impression — and inform voters of the rivals’ actual positions on the issues: Put the two candidates side by side on a debate stage for an extended period of time.
—Matthew Yglesias, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2024
For those who believe what their eyes tell them, it cannot be gainsaid that the plague of Jew hatred — always a reliable first symptom of a jihad against Western institutions — has been caused by the surrender of our education systems to the antinomian Left and the collapse of border security.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for gainsay
Dictionary Entries Near gainsay
Cite this Entry
“Gainsay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gainsay. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gainsay
verb
gain·say
gān-ˈsā
1
: to declare untrue : deny
2
: to speak against : contradict
gainsayer
noun
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