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

Origin of argument

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

Related formsre·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

Word Origin and History for argument

argument

early 14c., "statements and reasoning in support of a proposition," from Old French arguement "reasoning, opinion; accusation, charge" (13c.), from Latin argumentum "evidence, ground, support, proof; a logical argument," from arguere "to argue" (see argue). Sense passed through "subject of contention" to "a quarrel," a sense formerly attached to argumentation.

Idioms and Phrases with argument

argument

see under pick a quarrel.

argument

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of argument

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for argument

British Dictionary definitions for argument

argument

noun

Word Origin and History for argument

argument

Idioms and Phrases with argument

argument