Gainsay

verb

To challenge or contradict someone or something

Usage

We have all had reason to gainsay, or contradict, someone or something at one time or another. Whether it was fighting with your mother about what time you should actually be home for dinner or disagreeing with the statements of a teacher, the act of gainsaying just goes to show us how different we all are (and how much those differences can bother us!). There are even times when we gainsay ourselves by denying some previously held belief. There will always be something to oppose in our lives; we just have to figure out what is worth gainsaying!

To gainsay something is to disagree with or reject what has been said or done. The opposition in question could be as simple and neutral as arguing with someone about the best color to paint a wall. Or, one may gainsay something of a more serious nature by denying false allegations. When a friend says something untrue about someone, you can certainly gainsay the statement, claiming that she is making a wrong assumption. Sometimes, when a fact rather than an opinion is uttered, the declaration cannot be gainsaid, or denied. If someone says to you that the earth is round, you'd be right not to gainsay this point, unless you want to refute modern science! In fact, a common usage of gainsay is when a speaker or writer admits to non-deniability of something, e.g. "There is no gainsaying that..." or "… cannot be gainsaid."

You can also gainsay someone, especially when he or she says something you do not believe or accept. For example, a college student may gainsay his professor by attempting to disprove a claim. However, a person may not have said anything disagreeable for him or her to be the subject of gainsaying; in fact, sometimes such impugning is just done for the sake of arguing a concept. One reason that people gainsay one another is simply because they don't like what others stand for. For instance, young children often gainsay their parents (and their authority) simply because they want their own way or it is amusing to them. Of course, adults aren't perfect either; we could probably name more than a few people who just love to pick a fight!

Example: No one can gainsay the impact that technology has had on our lives.

Example: Jack's girlfriend seems to gainsay him on every issue.

Origin

The verb gainsay can be traced back to the similar looking Old English affix gegn- and verb say, which are translated together as "to say against." Today, to gain usually means to add or increase in value; however, in Old and Middle English it was commonly found as a prefix in words such as gainstand, meaning "to oppose" something or someone. Here, as in other words, the prefix gain- was translated as "against" or "counter," usually referring to some kind of opposition. Gegn- could be compared to our modern English prefix contra- or anti- found in the words contravene or antilock.

Derivative Words

Gainsays: This third-person present form of the verb is used when persons, labeled by either proper names (e.g. Jessica or Kai) or personal pronouns (i.e. he, she, it), gainsay something or someone.

Example: Shelby consistently gainsays her friends when they tell her she is in love.

Gainsaying: This noun refers to an act of opposition or contradiction that is in process or done by someone.

Example: The gainsaying between the Democratic and Republican nominees was quite fierce.

Gainsaid: This past tense form of the verb is used when the act of gainsaying has previously occurred.

Example: The dancer had gainsaid her instructor on her required uniform.

Gainsayer: This noun denotes a person who gainsays, or has gainsaid, another.

Example: Henry was the lone gainsayer against the company's unethical

In Literature

From Jerome K. Jerome's Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow:

Yet there is no gainsaying but that it must have been somewhat sweeter in that dewy morning of creation, when it was young and fresh, when the feet of the tramping millions had not trodden its grass to dust, nor the din of the myriad cities chased the silence forever away. Life must have been noble and solemn to those free-footed, loose-robed fathers of the human race, walking hand in hand with God under the great sky.

After humorously confronting those who yearn for yesteryear and simpler times, Jerome finds himself conceding to the idea that, in the very beginning, life must have been quite beautiful. He might not agree with wishing for the olden days, but he cannot deny, or gainsay, that the newly created earth was perfectly stunning.

Mnemonic

There's no gain in gainsaying mom - only stress and pain!
Don't gainsay your sick pay - you might need it someday!