argument

argument

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of argument in English

English Online Dictionary. What means argument‎? What does argument mean?

English

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɑːɡjʊmənt/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɑɹɡjʊmənt/, /-ɡju-/, /-ɡjə-/
  • Hyphenation: ar‧gu‧ment

Etymology 1

From Middle English argument, from Anglo-Norman and Old French arguement, from Latin argumentum. The English word is analysable as argue +‎ -ment. Doublet of argumentum.

Displaced native Old English racu and ġeflit.

Noun

argument (countable and uncountable, plural arguments)

  1. (countable, also figuratively) A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:argument
    1. (logic, philosophy) A series of propositions organized so that the final proposition is a conclusion which is intended to follow logically from the preceding propositions, which function as premises.
  2. (countable) A process of reasoning; argumentation.
  3. (countable) An abstract or summary of the content of a literary work such as a book, a poem or a major section such as a chapter, included in the work before the content itself; (figuratively) the contents themselves.
  4. (countable) A verbal dispute; a quarrel.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dispute
  5. (by extension, humorous or euphemistic) Any dispute, altercation, or collision.
  7. (countable, linguistics) Any of the phrases that bear a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause.
  8. (countable, mathematics)
    1. The independent variable of a function.
    2. The phase of a complex number.
    3. (also astronomy) A quantity on which the calculation of another quantity depends.
  9. (countable, programming)
    1. A value, or a reference to a value, passed to a function.
      Synonyms: actual argument, passed parameter
    2. A parameter at a function call; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.
  10. (countable, obsolete)
    1. A matter in question; a business in hand.
    2. The subject matter of an artistic representation, discourse, or writing; a theme or topic.
  11. (uncountable, archaic) Evidence, proof; (countable) an item of such evidence or proof.
Usage notes

see Thesaurus:false, Thesaurus:stupid, Thesaurus:deceptive

  • (parameter at a function call): some authors regard the use of argument to mean “formal parameter” to be imprecise, preferring that argument be used to refer only to the value that is used to instantiate the parameter at runtime, while parameter refers only to the name in the function definition that will be instantiated.
Alternative forms
  • arguement (obsolete)
Meronyms
  • (logic): conclusion, premise, proposition
Derived terms
Related terms
Collocations
Translations

Etymology 2

The obsolete senses are derived from Middle English argumenten (“to argue, discuss; to consider, reflect”), from Old French argumenter (“to argue”), from Latin argūmentārī (“to adduce arguments or proof, prove, reason; to adduce (something) as argument or proof; to conclude”), from argūmentum (“argument (for a position); evidence, proof; point, theme; thesis, topic; plot (in theatre)”) (see further at etymology 1) + -or (the first-person singular present passive indicative of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).

The current sense is derived from the noun.

Verb

argument (third-person singular simple present arguments, present participle argumenting, simple past and past participle argumented)

  1. (intransitive, obsolete, now nonstandard, non-native speakers' English) To put forward as an argument; to argue.
  2. (intransitive, obsolete) To adduce evidence, to provide proof.
Conjugation

References

Further reading

  • argument on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  • argument of a function on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  • argument (literature) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  • argument (linguistics) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  • argument (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  • “argument”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
  • William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “argument”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
  • “argument”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
  • argument in Britannica Dictionary
  • argument in Macmillan Collocations Dictionary
  • argument in Sentence collocations by Cambridge Dictionary
  • argument in Ozdic collocation dictionary
  • argument in WordReference English Collocations

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin argūmentum.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (Central) [ər.ɡuˈmen]
  • IPA(key): (Balearic) [ər.ɡuˈment]
  • IPA(key): (Valencia) [aɾ.ɣuˈment]

Noun

argument m (plural arguments)

  1. argument (reason)
  2. (computing) argument
  3. plot, storyline
  4. (mathematics) argument
  5. (grammar) argument

Related terms

  • argumentar

Further reading

  • “argument”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
  • “argument”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
  • “argument” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
  • “argument” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Czech

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈarɡumɛnt]

Noun

argument m inan

  1. argument (fact or statement used to support a proposition)

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

  • parametr m

Further reading

  • “argument”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
  • “argument”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
  • “argument”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Danish

Noun

argument n (singular definite argumentet, plural indefinite argumenter)

  1. argument

Declension

Related terms

  • argumentere

References

  • “argument” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch argument, from Old French argument, from Latin argūmentum.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌɑr.ɣyˈmɛnt/
  • Hyphenation: ar‧gu‧ment
  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

argument n (plural argumenten, diminutive argumentje n)

  1. an argument (fact or statement used to support a proposition)
    1. (logic, philosophy) a series of propositions, intended so that the conclusion follows logically from the premises
  2. (mathematics) an argument (independent variable of a function)
  3. (programming) an argument (value or reference passed to a function)
  4. (linguistics) an argument (any of the phrases that bears a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause)
  5. (obsolete) a decision
  6. (obsolete) a subject matter, theme or topic
  7. (obsolete) a quarrel, a dispute, an argument

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

  • Afrikaans: argument

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin argūmentum, from arguō (“prove, argue”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aʁ.ɡy.mɑ̃/

Noun

argument m (plural arguments)

  1. argument
  2. (grammar) argument of a verb, phrase syntactically connected to a verb (object and subject)

Derived terms

  • argument d'autorité
  • argumentaire
  • argumenter
    • argumentation

Related terms

  • arguer

See also

  • (grammar): valence

Further reading

  • “argument”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Maltese

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian argomento.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ar.ɡuˈmɛnt/

Noun

argument m (plural argumenti)

  1. argument

Related terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin argumentum.

Noun

argument n (definite singular argumentet, indefinite plural argument or argumenter, definite plural argumenta or argumentene)

  1. argument

Related terms

  • argumentere
  • argumentasjon

References

  • “argument” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

  • argumeint (Trøndersk)

Etymology

From Latin argumentum.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑrɡʉˈmɛnt/
  • (Trøndersk) IPA(key): /ɑrɡʉˈmɛɲc/

Noun

argument n (definite singular argumentet, indefinite plural argument, definite plural argumenta)

  1. argument

Related terms

  • argumentasjon

References

  • “argument” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin argūmentum.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /arˈɡu.mɛnt/
  • Rhymes: -umɛnt
  • Syllabification: ar‧gu‧ment

Noun

argument m inan (diminutive argumencik)

  1. (literary) point, argument (fact or statement used to support a proposition)
  2. (philosophy, logic, mathematics, programming) argument

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

  • argument in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • argument in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French argument, from Latin argumentum.

Noun

argument n (plural argumente)

  1. argument

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /arɡǔment/
  • Hyphenation: ar‧gu‧ment

Noun

argùment m (Cyrillic spelling аргу̀мент)

  1. argument (fact or statement used to support a proposition)
  2. (philosophy, logic, mathematics, programming) argument

Declension

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin argumentum

Pronunciation

Noun

argument n

  1. an argument supporting a stance
  2. (mathematics) an argument; an independent variable passed to a function
  3. (programming) an argument; a variable passed to a function

Declension

Related terms

  • argumentation
  • argumentera

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.