Vocabulary     

What does argument mean?

Definitions for argument
ˈɑr gyə məntar·gu·ment

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word argument.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. argument, statementnoun

    a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true

    "it was a strong argument that his hypothesis was true"

  2. controversy, contention, contestation, disputation, disceptation, tilt, argument, arguingnoun

    a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement

    "they were involved in a violent argument"

  3. argument, argumentation, debatenoun

    a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal

    "the argument over foreign aid goes on and on"

  4. argument, literary argumentnoun

    a summary of the subject or plot of a literary work or play or movie

    "the editor added the argument to the poem"

  5. argument, parameternoun

    (computer science) a reference or value that is passed to a function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program

  6. argumentnoun

    a variable in a logical or mathematical expression whose value determines the dependent variable; if f(x)=y, x is the independent variable

  7. argumentation, logical argument, argument, line of reasoning, linenoun

    a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning

    "I can't follow your line of reasoning"

Wiktionary

  1. argumentnoun

    A fact or statement used to support a proposition; .

  2. argumentnoun

    in a function definition; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.

  3. argumentnoun

    A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.

    There is no more palpable and convincing argument of the existence of a Deity.

  4. argumentnoun

    A verbal dispute; a quarrel.

  5. argumentnoun

    A process of reasoning.

    The argument is not about things, but names.

  6. argumentnoun

    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.

       Consider the argument:    15) I am hungry; therefore I am hungry. Intuitively this should count as valid. But suppose we thought of the components of arguments as sentences, and suppose we imagine the context shifting between the utterance of the premise and the utterance of the conclusion. Suppose you are hungry and utter the premise, and I am not hungry and utter the conclusion. Then we would have a true premise and a false conclusion, so the argument would not be valid. Clearly we need to avoid such problems, and introducing the notion of a proposition, in the style of this section, is one way of doing so.

  7. argumentnoun

    The independent variable of a function.

  8. argumentnoun

    The phase of a complex number.

  9. argumentnoun

    A value, or reference to a value, passed to a function.

  10. argumentnoun

    A parameter at a function call; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.

  11. argumentnoun

  12. argumentnoun

    Any of the phrases that bears a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause.

  13. argumentnoun

    The quantity on which another quantity in a table depends.

    The altitude is the argument of the refraction.

  14. argumentnoun

    The subject matter of a discourse, writing, or artistic representation; theme or topic; also, an abstract or summary, as of the contents of a book, chapter, poem.

    You and love are still my argument.

  15. argumentnoun

    Matter for question; business in hand.

    As neere as I could ſift him on that argument, On ſome apparant danger ſeene in him, Aym‘d at your Highneſſe, no inueterate malice.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Argumentnoun

    Etymology: argumentum, Lat.

    We sometimes see, on our theatres, vice rewarded, at least unpunished; yet it ought not to be an argument against the art. John Dryden, Tyrannick Love. Pref. to.

    When any thing is proved by as good arguments as that thing is capable of, supposing it were; we ought not in reason to make any doubt of the existence of that thing. John Tillotson, Preface.

    And thus we have our author’s two great and only arguments to prove, that heirs are lords over their brethren. John Locke.

    That she who ev’n but now was your best object,
    Your praise’s argument, balm of your age,
    Dearest and best. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    To the height of this great argument
    I may assert eternal providence,
    And justify the ways of God to man. John Milton, Par. Lost, b. i.

    Sad task! yet argument
    Not less, but more heroick than the wrath
    Of stern Achilles. John Milton, Par. Lost, b. ix.

    A much longer discourse my argument requires; your merciful dispositions a much shorter. Thomas Sprat, Sermons.

    The argument of the work, that is, its principal action, the œconomy and disposition of it, are the things which distinguish copies from originals. John Dryden, Æn. Pref.

    This day, in argument upon a case,
    Some words there grew ’twixt Somerset and me. William Shakespeare, H. VI.

    If the idea be not agreed on betwixt the speaker and hearer, the argument is not about things, but names. John Locke.

    It was much like an argument that fell out last night, where each of us fell in praise of our country mistresses. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.

    The best moral argument to patience, in my opinion, is the advantage of patience itself. John Tillotson.

    This, before that revelation had enlightened the world, was the very best argument for a future state. Francis Atterbury, Sermons.

Wikipedia

  1. Argument

    In logic and philosophy, an argument is a series of statements (in a natural language), called the premises or premisses (both spellings are acceptable), intended to determine the degree of truth of another statement, the conclusion. The logical form of an argument in a natural language can be represented in a symbolic formal language, and independently of natural language formally defined "arguments" can be made in math and computer science. Logic is the study of the forms of reasoning in arguments and the development of standards and criteria to evaluate arguments. Deductive arguments can be valid or sound: in a valid argument, premisses necessitate the conclusion, even if one or more of the premisses is false and the conclusion is false; in a sound argument, true premisses necessitate a true conclusion. Inductive arguments, by contrast, can have different degrees of logical strength: the stronger or more cogent the argument, the greater the probability that the conclusion is true, the weaker the argument, the lesser that probability. The standards for evaluating non-deductive arguments may rest on different or additional criteria than truth—for example, the persuasiveness of so-called "indispensability claims" in transcendental arguments, the quality of hypotheses in retroduction, or even the disclosure of new possibilities for thinking and acting.

ChatGPT

  1. argument

    An argument is a set of statements or reasons put forth to support a certain perspective, conclusion, or viewpoint. It often refers to a discussion or debate where opposing viewpoints are presented, analyzed, or defended. In logic, it consists of a premise and a conclusion. In philosophy, it's a series of statements leading to a conclusion. It can also refer to a verbal disagreement or confrontation between individuals or groups. Arguments are used in various fields, including law, academia, philosophy, and everyday conversations.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Argumentnoun

    proof; evidence

  2. Argumentnoun

    a reason or reasons offered in proof, to induce belief, or convince the mind; reasoning expressed in words; as, an argument about, concerning, or regarding a proposition, for or in favor of it, or against it

  3. Argumentnoun

    a process of reasoning, or a controversy made up of rational proofs; argumentation; discussion; disputation

  4. Argumentnoun

    the subject matter of a discourse, writing, or artistic representation; theme or topic; also, an abstract or summary, as of the contents of a book, chapter, poem

  5. Argumentnoun

    matter for question; business in hand

  6. Argumentnoun

    the quantity on which another quantity in a table depends; as, the altitude is the argument of the refraction

  7. Argumentnoun

    the independent variable upon whose value that of a function depends

  8. Argumentverb

    to make an argument; to argue

  9. Etymology: [L. argumentari.]

Wikidata

  1. Argument

    In logic and philosophy, an argument is an attempt to persuade someone of something, by giving reasons for accepting a particular conclusion as evident. The general structure of an argument in a natural language is that of premises in support of a claim: the conclusion. The structure of some arguments can also be set out in a formal language, and formally-defined "arguments" can be made independently of natural language arguments, as in math, logic and computer science. In a typical deductive argument, the premises are meant to provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion, while in an inductive argument, they are thought to provide reasons supporting the conclusion's probable truth. The standards for evaluating non-deductive arguments may rest on different or additional criteria than truth, for example, the persuasiveness of so-called "indispensability claims" in transcendental arguments, the quality of hypotheses in retroduction, or even the disclosure of new possibilities for thinking and acting. The standards and criteria used in evaluating arguments and their forms of reasoning are studied in logic. Ways of formulating arguments effectively are studied in rhetoric. An argument in a formal language shows the logical form of the symbolically-represented or natural language arguments obtained by its interpretations.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Argument

    ärg′ū-ment, n. a statement, or reason based on such, offered as proof: a series of reasons or a step in such: discussion: subject of a discourse: summary of the subject-matter of a book: (obs.) matter of controversy.—adjs. Argument′able, Argument′al.—n. Argumentā′tion, an arguing or reasoning.—adj. Argument′ative.—adv. Argument′atively.—n. Argument′ativeness. [L. argumentum. See Argue.]

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz

  1. ARGUMENT

    Breaking and entering the ear, assault and battery on the brain and disturbing the peace.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. argument

    An astronomical quantity upon which an equation depends,--or any known number by which an unknown one proportional to the first may be found.

Suggested Resources

  1. argument

    Song lyrics by argument -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by argument on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'argument' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1253

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'argument' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1306

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'argument' in Nouns Frequency: #363

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for argument »

  1. argentum

How to pronounce argument?

How to say argument in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of argument in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of argument in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of argument in a Sentence

  1. Gwynne Shotwell:

    I think there would probably be an argument both ways, i think there's definitely a lot of SpaceX haters or naysayers.

  2. Helen Mirren:

    I think it was very astute of the director. I'm not saying me but any woman playing that role just really opens the film up to the female audience as much as anything, ... It's much more embracing, it brings us all into the argument. It's not just then a macho movie, you know about men making war.

  3. Howie Morgan:

    I think the problem that anyone's going to have in the current climate is the University of Mississippi, through its leadership over the last several decades, has not been honest with the students, alumni and fan base in their argument to change the symbols.

  4. Ruggero Contu:

    If you're a European company, you can play the card and say, our data stays in Europe. The public sector would be more interested to that, there's some value in the argument, but it's not going to change competitive dynamics dramatically.

  5. Anonymous:

    A single fact can spoil a good argument.

more sentences »

Popularity rank by frequency of use

argument#1#2077#10000

References

Translations for argument

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • حجةArabic
  • дискусия, аргумент, довод, спорBulgarian
  • arguzennoù, arguz, arguzoù, tabut, arguzenn, tabutoùBreton
  • argument, argumentació, disputaCatalan, Valencian
  • argument, hádkaCzech
  • Streitgespräch, Diskussion, Argument, Streit, ArgumentationGerman
  • όρισμα, επιχείρημα, καβγάςGreek
  • bronca, pelea, riña, argumento, discusión, argumentaciónSpanish
  • استدلالPersian
  • väittely, perustelu, riita, argumenttiFinnish
  • argumentation, querelle, argumentFrench
  • aighneasIrish
  • connsachadh, connspaidScottish Gaelic
  • טענה, טיעון, ארגומנט, ויכוחHebrew
  • बिबादHindi
  • վիճաբանություն, վեճ, արգումենտ, կռվան, փաստարկArmenian
  • argomento, argomentazione, discussioneItalian
  • 引数, 論争Japanese
  • قڕه‌بڕ, شه‌ڕه‌قسه‌Kurdish
  • далилдөө, негизделүү, тартыш, дискуссия, ыспат, айтыш, негиздөө, аргумент, талаш, жыйынтык, негиз, далил, жүйөKyrgyz
  • argumentatio, argumentumLatin
  • arguments, argumentācija, neatkarīgais mainīgaisLatvian
  • argument, betoog, ruzieDutch
  • saadtahNavajo, Navaho
  • argumentacja, kłótnia, argumentPolish
  • discussão, argumento, argumentaçãoPortuguese
  • contraargumentare, argument, ceartă, disputăRomanian
  • обоснование, аргумент, спорRussian
  • spor, prepirSlovene
  • argumentAlbanian
  • diskussion, dispyt, argument, gräl, argumentationSwedish
  • வாதம்Tamil
  • వాగ్వాదము, విభేదించుTelugu
  • savunma, ispatlama, genlik, hüccet, akıl yürütme, argument, kanıt, değişken, münakaşa, sav, tartışma, delilTurkish
  • lý lẽ, lí lẽVietnamese

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"argument." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Sep. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/argument>.

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    based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice
    A foreordained
    B arbitrary
    C extroversive
    D omnifarious

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