gainsay

verb

gain·​say ˌgān-ˈsā 

gainsaid ˌgān-ˈsād 

-ˈsed

; gainsaying ˌgān-ˈsā-iŋ  ; gainsays ˌgān-ˈsāz 

-ˈsez

transitive verb

1

: to declare to be untrue or invalid

2

: contradict, oppose

did not dare to gainsay the king

gainsayer noun

Did you know?

You might have trouble figuring out the meaning of gainsay if you’re thinking of our modern word gain plus say. It should help to know that the gain part comes to us from the Old English word gēan-, meaning “against” or “in opposition to.” In Middle English, gēan- was joined to seyen (“to say”) to form gein-seyen, which led to the modern word gainsay. So when you see gainsay, think “to say against”—that is, “to deny” or “to contradict.”

Synonyms

• contradict
• deny
• disaffirm
• disallow
• disavow
• disclaim
• disconfirm
• disown
• negate
• negative
• refute
• reject
• repudiate

Choose the Right Synonym for gainsay

deny, gainsay, contradict, contravene mean to refuse to accept as true or valid.

deny implies a firm refusal to accept as true, to grant or concede, or to acknowledge the existence or claims of.

denied the charges

gainsay implies disputing the truth of what another has said.

no one can gainsay her claims

contradict implies an open or flat denial.

her account contradicts his

contravene implies not so much an intentional opposition as some inherent incompatibility.

laws that contravene tradition

Examples of gainsay in a Sentence

it can't be gainsaid that most people wish they had more time and money

repeatedly tried to gainsay me, though every point I made was backed up by facts

Recent Examples on the Web

It cannot be gainsaid that Biden cooperated and Trump obstructed. —Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 2 Mar. 2024

There’s a way to gainsay that impression — and inform voters of the rivals’ actual positions on the issues: Put the two candidates side by side on a debate stage for an extended period of time. —Matthew Yglesias, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2024

For those who believe what their eyes tell them, it cannot be gainsaid that the plague of Jew hatred — always a reliable first symptom of a jihad against Western institutions — has been caused by the surrender of our education systems to the antinomian Left and the collapse of border security. —Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023

It cannot be gainsaid that the FBI has brought these problems on itself. —The Editors, National Review, 12 Dec. 2023

Pelosi in the House was where Alexandra first used show-trial video, making J6 the central illustration of feminist power, yet gainsaying her mother’s involvement in events of that day. —Armond White, National Review, 25 Oct. 2023

None of this is to gainsay the help that western European allies have provided to Ukraine or to minimize the constraints that hamper them from doing more. —A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 5 July 2023

There are a lot of arguments that can be put forward to gainsay the importance of this set of charges. —Tyler Foggatt, The New Yorker, 17 June 2023

Who can gainsay it? —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 25 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English yein seyen, gein-seyen "to speak in opposition to, deny," from yein-, gein- "away, back, against, in opposition to" (going back to Old English gēan- "in opposition to," or marking returning or reciprocal action, going back to Germanic *gagna-) + seyen "to say entry 1" — more at again

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

gainsay

verb

gain·​say gān-ˈsā 

gainsaid -ˈsād 

-ˈsed

; gainsaying -ˈsā-iŋ 

1

: to declare untrue : deny

2

: to speak against : contradict

gainsayer noun