gainsay

American  

[geyn-sey, geyn-sey] / ˈgeɪnˌseɪ, geɪnˈseɪ /

verb (used with object)

gainsaid, gainsaying

1. to deny, dispute, or contradict.

2. to speak or act against; oppose.

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gainsay British  

/ ɡeɪnˈseɪ /

verb

1. archaic (tr) to deny (an allegation, a statement, etc); contradict

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Other Word Forms

• gainsayer noun
• ungainsaid adjective

Etymology

Origin of gainsay

First recorded in 1250–1300, gainsay is from the Middle English word gainsaien. See again, say ¹

Explanation

Gainsay, a verb, means "contradict" or "speak out against." When you challenge authority, you gainsay, as in teachers don't like it when unruly students gainsay them. Gainsay comes from an Old English word that means "contradict" or "say against," as in, "no one dared gainsay the principal, who is well-known for giving detention to students who so much as frown at him." If you know someone who constantly corrects others, tells them that they're wrong, and says, "That's not true," more than anyone else, you have first-hand experience with the art of the gainsay.

Example Sentences

As an Episcopal priest, I’d be the last person to gainsay the importance of prayer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2022

Yet far be it from me to gainsay the delight that many viewers take in “The Princess Bride.”

From The New Yorker • Sep. 20, 2019

Although the movie doesn’t really position Jackson as a has-been, it also doesn’t forcefully gainsay the notion that the best thing he can do for Ally is get out of her way.

From Slate • Oct. 10, 2018

But she framed her attack in a way no one could gainsay.

From The Guardian • Oct. 15, 2016

He spoke with an earnestness that it was hard to gainsay.

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie