gainsay

tr.v., -said (-sād', -sĕd'), -say·ing, -says (-sāz', -sĕz').

1. To declare false; deny. See synonyms at deny.
2. To oppose, especially by contradiction.

[Middle English gainsayen : gain-, against (from Old English gegn-) + sayen, to say (from Old English secgan; see say).]

gainsayer gain·say'er n.

(GAYN-say)

verb tr.
To deny or contradict.

Etymology
From Middle English gainsayen, from gain- (against), from Old English gegn- + sayen, from secgan (to say).

Usage
"With such a record, it's hard for anyone to gainsay the cynics. But as Inauguration Day approached, millions of Nigerians like Pambi again dared to hope for something better." — Tom Masland, Fingers Crossed, Nigerians Are Inaugurating Their First Freely Elected President in 16 Years, Newsweek (New York), May 24, 1999.

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verb

To refuse to admit the truth, reality, value, or worth of: contradict, contravene, controvert, deny, disaffirm, negate, negative, oppugn. Law traverse. See affirm/deny/argue.

v

Definition: contradict
Antonyms: agree, concur, confirm, go along

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IN BRIEF: To deny or oppose.

During the debate, one speaker tried to gainsay the opponent about each statement made about the topic.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - modsige

Nederlands (Dutch)
tegenspreken

Français (French)
v. tr. - réfuter (sout), contredire

Deutsch (German)
v. - leugnen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αρνούμαι, αντιλέγω, διαψεύδω

Italiano (Italian)
negare, contraddire

Português (Portuguese)
v. - negar, contradizer

Русский (Russian)
противоречить

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - negar, contradecir

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - förneka, motsätta sig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
否认, 反对, 反驳

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 否認, 反對, 反駁

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 반박하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 反ばくする, 否定する, 反駁する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) ينكر, يخالف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮סתר, הפריך, הכחיש‬

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