Nonargumentative

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not showing a tendency to dispute or engage in argument
2. Characterized by a calm demeanor without disputatious behavior
3. Displaying an attitude that avoids contention or verbal conflict

Etymology: Most English words built with "non-" are simple additions, and this one is no exception: it is "non-" attached to "argumentative." The more interesting history lies in the base word, which took a long road from Latin. The Latin "arguere" meant "to make clear, prove, or accuse," and from it came "argumentum," meaning a proof or line of reasoning. Latin speakers then formed "argumentativus," describing someone inclined to reason things out, and this passed into Middle English as "argumentatif" before the modern "argumentative" took its present sense of being fond of disputing. The sense of "argument" as a quarrel is the step that matters for the prefix. The original Latin idea was closer to presenting evidence than to shouting at someone, and the disputatious sense developed later in English. "Non-" therefore negates a meaning that had already narrowed toward contention, producing a word for someone who avoids quarrels.

Synonyms: peaceful, calm

Antonyms: argumentative, contentious