counterargument
Americannoun
-
counterarguments
plural
Usage
What does counterargument mean? A counterargument is an argument that is issued in response to someone else’s argument to show that the original claim is somehow incorrect. An argument, in this context, is a series of reasons used to make a claim. A counterargument is always a response—its point is to refute (prove wrong) the original argument. The term is most commonly used in formal contexts, like debates or courtroom settings, but it can also be used in informal contexts, like everyday discussions. Example: The debate team worked diligently to prepare a counterargument that disproved their opponents’ stance.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of counterargument
Explanation
A counterargument is the thoughtful response you give when you disagree with someone's ideas or claims. In criminal court, a defense attorney usually gives a counterargument to the prosecutor's accusations. A counterargument is really just what it sounds like — an argument that runs counter to someone else's original argument. In this case, counter means "against" or "in response to," from the Latin root contra, "opposite, against, or in return." A true counterargument is well thought out, countering each idea with a set of reasons proving that the opposite is true.
Vocabulary lists containing counterargument
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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Argumentative Writing
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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The only real difference is Fifa did put its counterargument forward in the early hours of Friday - along with an assertion its "planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports".
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
If their views diverged, they listened to each other instead of silently preparing a counterargument.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
But prominent economist Torsten Sløk is floating a counterargument that inflation may not fall as expected.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
But you aren’t Lane Kiffin would be the counterargument.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
Olbers’s counterargument was that the light from distant stars would be dimmed by absorption by intervening matter.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Wall Street also had more time to digest the Citrini scenario and offer counterarguments.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
Its edge comes from speed and breadth — reviewing more scenarios, more counterarguments and more data in much less time.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 25, 2026
Critics of private equity, though, offer several counterarguments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2025
Once the harassment campaign started to get more national attention, thousands of feminists logged on to defend the targets, flooding Twitter with memes and counterarguments that recognized the true villains as the Gamergaters themselves.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2024
When at last Lola spoke her tone was reflective, as though she were pondering subtle currents of counterarguments.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
