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.
Origin of argument
1325–75;Middle English (< Old French) < Latinargūmentum. 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.
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
logican 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
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.
