an oral disagreement; verbal opposition; contention; altercation: a violent argument.
a discussion involving differing points of view; debate: They were deeply involved in an argument about inflation.
a process of reasoning; series of reasons: I couldn't follow his argument.
a statement, reason, or fact for or against a point: This is a strong argument in favor of her theory.
an address or composition intended to convince or persuade; persuasive discourse.
subject matter; theme: The central argument of his paper was presented clearly.
an abstract or summary of the major points in a work of prose or poetry, or of sections of such a work.
Mathematics.
an independent variable of a function.
Also called amplitude. the angle made by a given vector with the reference axis.
the angle corresponding to a point representing a given complex number in polar coordinates.Compare principal argument.
Computers. a variable in a program, to which a value will be assigned when the program is run: often given in parentheses following a function name and used to calculate the function.
Obsolete.
evidence or proof.
a matter of contention.
Origin of argument
1325–75; Middle English (<Old French ) <Latin argūmentum.See argue, -ment
synonym study for argument
1. Argument,controversy,dispute imply the expression of opinions for and against some idea. An argument usually arises from a disagreement between two persons, each of whom advances facts supporting his or her own point of view. A controversy or a dispute may involve two or more persons. A dispute is an oral contention, usually brief, and often of a heated, angry, or undignified character: a violent dispute over a purchase. A controversy is an oral or written expression of contrary opinions, and may be dignified and of some duration: a political controversy.
OTHER WORDS FROM argument
re·ar·gu·ment,noun
Words nearby argument
arguable, arguably, argue, Argüedas, argufy, argument, argumentation, argumentative, argument from design, argumentum, argumentum ad hominem
Barr was explicit about setting the table for that argument in an interview with a Chicago Tribune columnist this week.
William Barr is the poster child for politicized law enforcement officials|Philip Bump|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
What was important for us was finding a solution that fit the customer behavior—that’s the key argument for moving users from an illegal website to a legal one.
An Africa-focused music download service raised $6 million from its IPO to help pay artists|Yomi Kazeem|September 16, 2020|Quartz
A super PAC funded almost entirely by Illinois megadonor Richard Uihlein, Restoration has run a string of ads in the Midwest supporting local Republican candidates and making very different arguments against Joe Biden.
The Trailer: The First State goes last|David Weigel|September 15, 2020|Washington Post
Murphy says that from October 2018 to March 2019, he, Nielsen, and other top DHS officials discussed how best to present their argument to Congress for building a wall on the southern border with Mexico.
What to make of the DHS whistleblower’s shocking complaint|Alex Ward|September 11, 2020|Vox
You kind of need a case study to have a solid argument for an advertiser.
‘Layer of data and efficiency’: How TechCrunch took Disrupt virtual — and grew for its tenth anniversary|Max Willens|September 11, 2020|Digiday
I remember that after the movie, people were saying how depressing it was, and I started an argument with them.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The argument now is how to limit certain types of plays that banks can make under certain circumstances.
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is where I think the argument against me falls off the cliff.
Seriously, Democrats: You’re Done in Dixie|Michael Tomasky|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
History itself has been aptly described as an argument un-ended.
The Facts About Ferguson Matter, Dammit|Doug McIntyre|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Obama and the Democrats have embraced the argument that suburbs and sprawl are bad for you.
The Progressives’ War on Suburbia|Joel Kotkin|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Against the breeze of such high indignation, any argument would be blown away.
The Trumpeter Swan|Temple Bailey
I said quite a little after this, and of course the general run of my argument was that I was rather intelligent myself.
The Lost Art of Reading|Gerald Stanley Lee
Apologists like Lekebusch and Oertel reject Bleek's argument.
Supernatural Religion, Vol. III. (of III)|Walter Richard Cassels
It appears to me that this thinness cannot be used as an argument.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
I would not allow that paper, blown by the wind, to scare me from the highway of the argument!
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
British Dictionary definitions for argument
argument
/ (ˈɑːɡjʊmənt) /
noun
a quarrel; altercation
a discussion in which reasons are put forward in support of and against a proposition, proposal, or case; debatethe argument on birth control will never be concluded
(sometimes plural)a point or series of reasons presented to support or oppose a proposition
a summary of the plot or subject of a book, etc
logic
a process of deductive or inductive reasoning that purports to show its conclusion to be true
formally, a sequence of statements one of which is the conclusion and the remainder the premises
logican obsolete name for the middle term of a syllogism
maths
an element to which an operation, function, predicate, etc, applies, esp the independent variable of a function
Words To Describe Your Worst FightsNo matter who you're verbally sparring with, we've got words to describe every type of argument and fight. Drop one of these and score some points, warrior!