Counterargument

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A reason or group of reasons presented to oppose or refute another argument
2. An opposing viewpoint supported by logic used to challenge or contradict a prior statement
3. A rationale given to dispute or undermine the validity of an existing claim or reasoning

Etymology: Counterargument is a plain compound: "counter-" added to "argument." The prefix comes from Latin "contra," meaning "against," which reached English through Old French "contre" and Anglo-Norman "countre," and was already in Middle English as "counter-" well before the modern word was formed. The Latin base is "arguere," "to make clear, prove," and the "argument" it produced entered English through Anglo-Norman "arguement" and Middle English "argument," carrying the sense of a reason offered in support of a claim. Put together, "counterargument" literally means a reasoned case set against another. The prefix does the opposing work: the same root that once meant proof or evidence now stands for the rival reasoning placed in its path. Nothing in the word is metaphorical; it is a straightforward English formation from familiar parts.

Synonyms: rebuttal, refutation, counterclaim, argument against, objection