Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gainsayer

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: gain-say-er
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One who contradicts or denies what is alleged; an opposer.

noun

A person who gainsays others; a disagreeable person.

Example Sentences

"First, The writer, positively asserts, "That Wood's halfpence were current among us for several months with the universal approbation of all people, without one single gainsayer"."
"This urge to ensure the continued viability of UK science is balanced by warnings that such a system brings closer the day when computers will take over the running of the world and discard humanity. One such gainsayer is Bill Joy, inventor of the web language Java and chief scientist at computer giant Sun Microsystems."

Etymology

From Middle English aȝenseyere, equivalent to gainsay + -er.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: aȝenseyere
Suffix: gainsay

Inflected Forms

gainsayers (plural)

Synonyms

withsayer

Rhymes With

they're player mayor prayer layer slayer surveyor bayer payer ayer sprayer purveyor

Questions

What does gainsayer mean?: One who contradicts or denies what is alleged; an opposer.
Where does gainsayer come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce gainsayer

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