gainsay

[ geyn-sey, geyn-sey ]

/ ˈgeɪnˌseɪ, geɪnˈseɪ /

verb (used with object), gain·said, gain·say·ing.

to deny, dispute, or contradict.

to speak or act against; oppose.

Nearby words

gaingiving, gainings, gainless, gainly, gains, gainsay, gainsborough, gaiseric, gait, gaited, gaiter

Origin of gainsay

First recorded in 1250–1300, gainsay is from the Middle English word gainsaien. See again, say¹

Related forms

gain·say·er, nounun·gain·said, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for gainsaid

It cannot be gainsaid, it cannot be altered, time itself cannot assuage its rigors.
The Terms of Surrender|Louis Tracy
He might have passed for an itinerant merchant, yet there was something in his countenance which gainsaid this supposition.
The Hill of Venus|Nathan Gallizier
If this be true, and that it is cannot be gainsaid, the sooner the transfer is made the better.
Porto Rico|Arthur D. Hall
Only the discoveries of recent years have brought proof too positive to be gainsaid.
The American Journal of Archaeology, 1893-1|Various

The tongue can run all whithers and talk all wise; it can go here and there, and as a man says, so shall he be gainsaid.
The Iliad|Homer

British Dictionary definitions for gainsaid

gainsay

/ (ɡeɪnˈseɪ) /

verb -says, -saying or -said

(tr) archaic, or literary to deny (an allegation, a statement, etc); contradict

Derived Forms

gainsayer, noun

Word Origin for gainsay

C13 gainsaien, from gain- against + saien to say 1

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

gainsay

verb (used with object), gain·said, gain·say·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of gainsay

Related forms

Examples from the Web for gainsaid

British Dictionary definitions for gainsaid

gainsay

verb -says, -saying or -said

Derived Forms

Word Origin for gainsay