Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to gainsay
Participle: gainsayed; gainsaid
Gerund: gainsaying
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | gainsay |
| you | gainsay |
| he;she;it | gainsays |
| we | gainsay |
| you | gainsay |
| they | gainsay |
Perfect
| I | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| he;she;it | has gainsayed; gainsaid |
| we | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| they | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
Past
| I | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| he;she;it | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| we | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| they | gainsayed; gainsaid |
Pluperfect
| I | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| he;she;it | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| we | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| they | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
Future
| I | will gainsay |
| you | will gainsay |
| he;she;it | will gainsay |
| we | will gainsay |
| you | will gainsay |
| they | will gainsay |
Future Perfect
| I | will have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | will have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| he;she;it | will have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| we | will have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | will have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| they | will have gainsayed; gainsaid |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | gainsay |
| you | gainsay |
| he;she;it | gainsay |
| we | gainsay |
| you | gainsay |
| they | gainsay |
Perfect
| I | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| he;she;it | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| we | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| they | have gainsayed; gainsaid |
Imperfect
| I | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| he;she;it | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| we | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | gainsayed; gainsaid |
| they | gainsayed; gainsaid |
Pluperfect
| I | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| he;she;it | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| we | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
| they | had gainsayed; gainsaid |
Conditional
Present
| I | would gainsay |
| you | would gainsay |
| he;she;it | would gainsay |
| we | would gainsay |
| you | would gainsay |
| they | would gainsay |
Perfect
| I | would have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | would have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| he;she;it | would have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| we | would have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| you | would have gainsayed; gainsaid |
| they | would have gainsayed; gainsaid |
Imperative
| you | gainsay |
| we | Let's gainsay |
| you | gainsay |
Verbs conjugated like 'gainsay'
againsay,
appay,
assay,
belay,
enlay,
forelay,
foresay,
forlay,
forsay,
gainsay,
inlay,
interlay,
lay,
mislay,
mispay,
missay,
outlay,
outstay,
overlay,
overpay, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'gainsay'
againsay,
gainstay,
againbuy,
assay,
gain,
gainstand,
gangway,
gateway,
gipsey,
gipsy,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- contradict
- controvert, deny, refute, repudiate, disclaim, disagree, dispute, oppose
Antonyms
- contradict
- confirm, agree, corroborate, acquiesce
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
1. "to contradict," c.1300, lit. "say against," from O.E.
gegn- "against" +
say. "Solitary survival of a once common prefix" [Weekley], which was used to form such now-obsolete compounds as
gain-taking "taking back again,"
gainclap "a counterstroke,"
gainbuy "redeem," and
gainstand "to oppose."
2. From Middle English gainsayen, ȝeinseggen (“to say against, say in opposition to”), equivalent to gain- + say. Compare Old Danish gensige (“to speak against; gainsay”), Swedish gensaga (“a speaking against; protest”). See: Swedish '
gensaga'.
Verbs referencing "gainsay"
Swedish
genmäla.
Sample Sentences
-
[…]vve are able with playne demonſtration to proue, and vvith reaſon to perſvvade that in tymes paſt our fayth vvas alike, that then vve preached thinges correſpondent vnto the forme of faith already publiſhed of vs, ſo that none in this behalfe can repyne or gayneſay vs. [1577, Socrates Scholasticus [i.e., Socrates of Constantinople], “Constantinus the Emperour Summoneth the Nicene Councell, it was Held at Nicæa a Citie of Bythnia for the Debatinge of the Controuersie about the Feast of Easter, and the Rootinge out of the Heresie of Arius”, in Eusebius Pamphilus, Socrates Scholasticus, Evagrius Scholasticus, Dorotheus, translated by Meredith Hanmer, The Avncient Ecclesiasticall Histories of the First Six Hundred Yeares after Christ, Wrytten in the Greeke Tongue by Three Learned Historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. …, book I (The First Booke of the Ecclesiasticall Historye of Socrates Scholasticvs), imprinted at London: By Thomas Vautroullier dwelling in the Blackefriers by Ludgate, →OCLC, page 225:]
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The supreme court, therefore, may assume jurisdiction over subjects and between parties, not allowed by the constitution, and there is no power in the federal government to gainsay it. [1840, Abel Upshur, A Brief Enquiry into the Nature and Character of our Federal Government, Campbell, page 84:]
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So she had, cried Scrooge. You’re right. I will not gainsay it, Spirit. God forbid! [1843, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol:]
-
Know then that in the time of the Great Rebellion (the history of which by the learned Lord Clarendon I most earnestly commend to your attention) this Manor of Baskerville was held by Hugo of that name, nor can it be gainsaid that he was a most wild, profane, and godless man. [1902, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles:]
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And there was something childlike about Griffith, too, even in his Matlock days, as a deceptively sharp 'simple country lawyer,' a big-kid boyishness that did not mask his intelligence or gainsay his authority. [2012 July 7, “Griffith acted, and lived, by Golden Rule”, in The Post and Courier^(https://web.archive.org/web/20160307130327/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_theme=cpcb&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_docid=13FDF91A8AD97358&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%2013FDF91A8AD97358%20)&p_product=CPCB), Charleston: Evening Post Publishing, archived from the original on 07 Mar 2016, page 5, Features:]