No one could gainsay the fact that she won the race fair and square.
synonyms
denycontradictdispute
word origin — Derived from Middle English, from Old English 'gān' meaning 'to say' and 'say' meaning 'to speak or assert'.
Proficient — Set 28
Set 28 of Proficient covers 5 words: gainsay, forage, fluke, desist, thwart. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
gainsay · verb/ɡeɪnˈseɪ/
to deny or contradict a statement or claim
No one could gainsay the fact that she won the race fair and square.
Synonyms: deny, contradict, dispute
Origin: Derived from Middle English, from Old English 'gān' meaning 'to say' and 'say' meaning 'to speak or assert'.
forage · verb/ˈfɔr.ɪdʒ/
to search for and gather food or provisions
The children went to the forest to forage for berries and nuts.
Synonyms: search, scavenge, gather
Origin: Middle English 'foragien', from Old French 'forage', based on 'forage' meaning 'straw' or 'fodder', and Latin 'forāgĭum', from 'forā' meaning 'to graze'.
fluke · noun/fluːk/
an unlikely chance occurrence or a stroke of luck
He won the game by a fluke when the ball bounced off a rock and into the net.
Synonyms: chance, luck, coincidence
Origin: The word 'fluke' comes from the Middle English 'flok,' meaning a flatfish, which evolved into its current meaning related to chance over time.
desist · verb/dɪˈzɪst/
to cease or abstain from an action
The teacher asked the students to desist from talking during the test.
Synonyms: cease, stop, refrain
Origin: from Latin 'desistere', meaning 'to stand apart' or 'to cease'
thwart · verb/θwɔrt/
to prevent someone from accomplishing something
The heavy rain will thwart our plans for a picnic in the park.
Synonyms: prevent, stop, hinder
Origin: Middle English thwarten, from Old Norse thvart, meaning 'across, athwart'