argument

[ ahr-gyuh-muh nt ]

/ ˈɑr gyə mənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR argument ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an oral disagreement; verbal opposition; contention; altercation: a violent argument.

a discussion involving differing points of view; debate: They were deeply involved in an argument about inflation.

a process of reasoning; series of reasons: I couldn't follow his argument.

a statement, reason, or fact for or against a point: This is a strong argument in favor of her theory.

an address or composition intended to convince or persuade; persuasive discourse.

subject matter; theme: The central argument of his paper was presented clearly.

an abstract or summary of the major points in a work of prose or poetry, or of sections of such a work.

Mathematics.

an independent variable of a function.
Also called amplitude. the angle made by a given vector with the reference axis.
the angle corresponding to a point representing a given complex number in polar coordinates.Compare principal argument.

Computers. a variable in a program, to which a value will be assigned when the program is run: often given in parentheses following a function name and used to calculate the function.

Obsolete.

evidence or proof.
a matter of contention.

Nearby words

argovie, arguable, arguably, argue, argufy, argument, argumentation, argumentative, argumentum, argumentum ad hominem, argun

Origin of argument

1325–75; Middle English (< Old French) < Latin argūmentum. See argue, -ment

Related forms

re·ar·gu·ment, noun

Synonym study

1. Argument, controversy, dispute imply the expression of opinions for and against some idea. An argument usually arises from a disagreement between two persons, each of whom advances facts supporting his or her own point of view. A controversy or a dispute may involve two or more persons. A dispute is an oral contention, usually brief, and often of a heated, angry, or undignified character: a violent dispute over a purchase. A controversy is an oral or written expression of contrary opinions, and may be dignified and of some duration: a political controversy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for argument

I remember that after the movie, people were saying how depressing it was, and I started an argument with them.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The argument now is how to limit certain types of plays that banks can make under certain circumstances.
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is where I think the argument against me falls off the cliff.
Seriously, Democrats: You’re Done in Dixie|Michael Tomasky|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
History itself has been aptly described as an argument un-ended.
The Facts About Ferguson Matter, Dammit|Doug McIntyre|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Obama and the Democrats have embraced the argument that suburbs and sprawl are bad for you.
The Progressives’ War on Suburbia|Joel Kotkin|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Against the breeze of such high indignation, any argument would be blown away.
The Trumpeter Swan|Temple Bailey
I said quite a little after this, and of course the general run of my argument was that I was rather intelligent myself.
The Lost Art of Reading|Gerald Stanley Lee
Apologists like Lekebusch and Oertel reject Bleek's argument.
Supernatural Religion, Vol. III. (of III)|Walter Richard Cassels
It appears to me that this thinness cannot be used as an argument.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
I would not allow that paper, blown by the wind, to scare me from the highway of the argument!
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll

British Dictionary definitions for argument

argument

/ (ˈɑːɡjʊmənt) /

noun

a quarrel; altercation

a discussion in which reasons are put forward in support of and against a proposition, proposal, or case; debatethe argument on birth control will never be concluded

(sometimes plural) a point or series of reasons presented to support or oppose a proposition

a summary of the plot or subject of a book, etc

logic

a process of deductive or inductive reasoning that purports to show its conclusion to be true
formally, a sequence of statements one of which is the conclusion and the remainder the premises

logic an obsolete name for the middle term of a syllogism

maths

an element to which an operation, function, predicate, etc, applies, esp the independent variable of a function
the amplitude of a complex number

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with argument

argument

see under pick a quarrel.

argument

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of argument

Related forms

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for argument

British Dictionary definitions for argument

argument

noun

Idioms and Phrases with argument

argument