naysay
Americanverb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of naysay
Explanation
If you've ever wanted to do something and a parent has told you no, you know what naysay means. To naysay is to to refuse or oppose something: for example, a parent might naysay having a hamburger for dinner. Naysay is made up of the parts nay and say. Nay comes from a Scandinavian root, and say comes from an Old English root. The word naysay itself, as a verb, was originally from Scottish English, which makes sense when you look at the etymology, as there has been a lot of Scandinavian influence on Scotland and Northern England. Go ahead and blame the Vikings!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“You don’t change a culture overnight. The first part of that is acknowledging what has happened. Nobody can naysay or deny or act ignorant anymore.”
From Washington Post ● May 23, 2022
“I’m a man first and foremost. I didn’t get this far by listening to all the naysay and doubters. I just come to work and do my job every day.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 9, 2020
She thought it stank of moisture and car exhaust, but she wouldn’t naysay Sasha.
From Nature ● Dec. 17, 2019
Although it’s easy for pundits to naysay, Kiir’s accomplishments dwarf the criticisms.
From Newsweek ● Jul. 17, 2011
Now we pray thee by thy fathers not to naysay us, so sore as thou hast made our hearts.
From The Well at the World's End: a tale by William Morris
This challenge they naysaid in few words, for the town was well victualled and manned.
From The Sundering Flood by May Morris
Nevertheless, when her fosterling fed her kindly from her abundance they naysaid it not.
From The Sundering Flood by May Morris
He hailed us courteously, and asked if he might abide with us till morning, and we naysaid him not, if he might do with such cheer as we might make him.
From The Sundering Flood by May Morris
And whereas I was determined what to do, and had my war-sword by my side, I naysaid her not, but made her good countenance.
From The Water of the Wondrous Isles by William Morris
To make a short tale of it, he bade Bull sell me to him, which Bull utterly naysaid, standing stiff and stark before the Lord, and scowling on him.
From The Well at the World's End: a tale by William Morris
Another minister tells me: "There is no appetite for destruction – very little naysaying."
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
That naysaying has gained much greater currency in recent years as California’s population has contracted for the first time in more than a century.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2024
Early naysaying that the film was too strange for older academy voters has proved wrong.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
Overall, the joyful mood in the old-line movie industry on Sunday could be summed up by an exchange in “Top Gun: Maverick” between Cruise’s weathered flying ace and a naysaying superior.
From New York Times ● May 29, 2022
Logically speaking, a sentence with a naysaying word like not, no, neither, nor, or never is just the mirror image of an affirmative sentence.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
