gainsay

American  

[geyn-sey, geyn-sey] / ˈgeɪnˌseɪ, geɪnˈseɪ /

verb (used with object)

gainsaid, gainsaying

1. to deny, dispute, or contradict.

2. to speak or act against; oppose.

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gainsay British  

/ ɡeɪnˈseɪ /

verb

1. archaic (tr) to deny (an allegation, a statement, etc); contradict

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Other Word Forms

• gainsayer noun
• ungainsaid adjective

Etymology

Origin of gainsay

First recorded in 1250–1300, gainsay is from the Middle English word gainsaien. See again, say ¹

Example Sentences

Since June, it’s been harder to gainsay him.

From The Wall Street Journal

There can be no gainsaying that Boeing has been in a bad way at least since 2018, the last year in which the company booked an annual profit.

From Los Angeles Times

As an Episcopal priest, I’d be the last person to gainsay the importance of prayer.

From Los Angeles Times

If the market wants to slap a similarly elevated price on elegant technical solutions to gnarly game-theory problems and call it a cryptocurrency, who am I to gainsay it?

From Washington Post

DeTrinis begins the show in the persona of an obsequiously agreeable guest at a party, braying with self-deprecating laughter and immediately gainsaying every opinion he ventures: “I love Adele! You’re right, I hate her.”

From Los Angeles Times