What does "argument" mean?
A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.
Argument
/ˈɑːɡjʊmənt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.
- Grammar: argument is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: contention, line of reasoning, action, addend.
- Useful contrasts: functional value, adjunct, agreement.
- Usage evidence: The war on Iraq is a volatile subject of political debate; any wrong word and a heated argument could spark.
How to use "argument"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "argument" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "argument" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "argument" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "argument" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "argument" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "contention" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "argument", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason. also, countable, figuratively
"There is no greater, at leaſt no more palpable and convincing Argument of the Exiſtence of a Deity than the admirable Art and Wiſdom that diſcovers itſelf in the make and conſtitution, the order and diſpoſition, the ends and uſes of all the parts and members of this ſtately fabrick of Heaven and Earth."
- 2 a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning wordnet
- 3 A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.; 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. also, countable, figuratively, uncountable
"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."
- 4 a variable in a logical or mathematical expression whose value determines the dependent variable wordnet
- 5 A process of reasoning; argumentation. countable
"Indeed, I cannot commend my life; for I am conſcious to my ſelf of many failings: therein, I know alſo that a man by his converſation, may ſoon overthrow what by argument or perſwaſion he doth labour to faſten upon others for their good: […]"
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 (computer science) a reference or value that is passed to a function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program wordnet
- 7 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. countable
"If I would broach the veſſels of my loue, / And try the argument of hearts, by borrowing, / Men, and mens fortunes, could I frankely vſe / As I can bid thee ſpeake."
- 8 a summary of the subject or plot of a literary work or play or movie wordnet
- 9 A verbal dispute; a quarrel. countable
"The neighbours got into an argument about the branches of the trees that extended over the fence."
- 10 a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true wordnet
- 11 Any dispute, altercation, or collision. broadly, countable, euphemistic, humorous, uncountable
"Steve got in a physical argument with his neighbor and came away with a black eye."
- 12 a discussion in which reasons are advanced for and against some proposition or proposal wordnet
- 13 Any of the phrases that bear a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause. countable
"In numerous works over the past two decades, beginning with the pioneering work of Gruber (1965), Fillmore (1968a), and Jackendoff (1972), it has been argued that each Argument (i.e. Subject or Complement) of a Predicate bears a particular thematic role (alias theta-role, or θ-role to its Predicate), and that the set of thematic functions which Arguments can fulfil are drawn from a highly restricted, finite, universal set."
- 14 a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement wordnet
- 15 The independent variable of a function. countable, uncountable
- 16 The phase of a complex number. countable, uncountable
- 17 A quantity on which the calculation of another quantity depends. also, countable, uncountable
"The altitude is the argument of the refraction."
- 18 A value, or a reference to a value, passed to a function. countable, uncountable
"Parameters are like labelled fillable blanks used to define a function whereas arguments are passed to a function when calling it, filling in those blanks."
- 19 A parameter at a function call; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter. countable, uncountable
- 20 A matter in question; a business in hand. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"As neere as I could ſift him on that argument, On ſome apparent danger ſeene in him, Aimde at your highnes, no inueterate malice."
- 21 The subject matter of an artistic representation, discourse, or writing; a theme or topic. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"[I]n vttering the ſtuffe ye receiued of the one, in declaring the order ye tooke with the other, ye ſhall neuer lacke, neither matter, nor maner, what to write, nor how to write in this kinde of Argument."
- 22 Evidence, proof; (countable) an item of such evidence or proof. archaic, uncountable
"[F]or louing me, by my troth it is no addition to her wit, nor no great argument of her follie, for I will be horribly in loue with her, […]"
Verb
- 1 To put forward as an argument; to argue. intransitive, nonstandard, obsolete
"[I]t is moſt certaine, that after Herodotus and other auncient writers, it is ſafer to call theſe [elephants' tusks] teeth, then hornes; and I will breefly ſet downe the reaſons of Philoſtratus, that will haue them to be teeth, and afterward of Grapaldus [i.e., Francesco Mario Grapaldi], Aelianus, and Pauſanias, that would make them horns, and ſo leaue the reader to conſider whether opinion he thinketh moſt agreeable to truth. […] Thus they argument for the horns of Elephants."
- 2 To adduce evidence, to provide proof. intransitive, obsolete
"Albeit that it apperteneth to the apoſtolis, be the puiſtoun of God to tak ordour in all materis off debait cõcernyng ye faith, & ſpecialie to iterprete ye ſcripturis, as yat quhilkis had yͤ ſpreit of god, & wer yͤ trew kirk: It argumẽtis [argumentis] not yat vtheris, quha hes ꝯuenit [conuenit] ſenſyne in generale ꝯſales [consales] had the ſpreit of GOD, or wer the trew kirk: […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The war on Iraq is a volatile subject of political debate; any wrong word and a heated argument could spark."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "argument"?
Common synonyms include: contention, line of reasoning, action, addend, affray, agon.
How do you use "argument" in a sentence?
The war on Iraq is a volatile subject of political debate; any wrong word and a heated argument could spark.
How do you pronounce "argument"?
Pronounced /ˈɑːɡjʊmənt/.
Etymology
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.
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.