(ˈ)gān|sā transitive verb
( gain·said -sād, -sed ; gainsaid “ ; gainsaying -sāiŋ ; gain·says -sāz, -sez)
Etymology: Middle English gaynsayen, from gayn- against + sayen to say — more at say
1. : deny
that capitalism had long existed in rudimentary form cannot be gainsaid — W.P.Webb
a churlish critic who would gainsay people the solace of fairy tales — W.H.Whyte
2. : to speak against : contradict , controvert
though I disagree with him, I will not gainsay him
3. : oppose , resist
standing armies that will permit us to grasp whatever we may desire, because no other nation or combination of nations is strong enough to gainsay us — F.D.Roosevelt
the development of a manner … that gainsays the very purpose of criticism — F.R.Leavis
also : subvert
his mother, whom he could not gainsay , was unconsciously but inflexibly set against his genius — Van Wyck Brooks
Synonyms: see deny