1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

gainsaying

verb

present participle of gainsay
1
as in denying
to declare not to be true it can't be gainsaid that most people wish they had more time and money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contradicting
to make an assertion that is contrary to one made by (another) repeatedly tried to gainsay me, though every point I made was backed up by facts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gainsaying
  1. denying
  2. contradicting
  3. refuting
  4. rejecting
Verb
  • In addition to denying Moore’s motion to vacate the arbitration award, Carter granted a motion by the WTA Tour, which was represented by Bradley Ruskin and other attorneys from Proskauer Rose, to confirm the award.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The case stemmed from a former University of Arizona professor who sued the school for denying and delaying his records requests.
    — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of denying
Verb
  • This meant that all of Lizzie’s contradicting statements about her whereabouts during the murders were not allowed to be presented as part of the prosecution’s case.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez last week said Spain found no evidence to conclude that July’s deadly border rush from Morocco into its enclave of Ceuta was orchestrated by Moroccan authorities, contradicting allegations by Spanish police in a report.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of contradicting
Verb
  • Following the bombshell story, the palace released a rare statement refuting Spencer’s claims.
    — Staff Author, InStyle, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Charles’ then-private secretary, Sir Michael Peat, subsequently issued a statement refuting the accusations.
    — StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of refuting
Verb
  • The trend is less about rejecting smartphones and more about choosing which parts of them to keep.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The trend is less about rejecting technology than deciding how much attention a phone deserves.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of rejecting
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

gainsay
gainsaying
gainsays
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gainsaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gainsaying. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tactile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All