naysayer

See also: nay-sayer

English

Alternative forms

• nay-sayer

Etymology

Origin: 1715–1725, from nay +‎ say +‎ -er, equivalent to naysay +‎ -er. First recorded use: 1721.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈneɪˌseɪ.ə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈneɪˌseɪ.ɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: nay‧say‧er

Noun

naysayer (plural naysayers)

1. One who consistently denies, criticizes, or doubts; a detractor.

   He ignored the naysayers and succeeded with his idea.

   • 2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:

     As for the IRP, Secretary of State Grant Shapps continues to peddle snake oil, smoke and mirrors. His reaction to near-universal IRP condemnation from politicians, local and national media, and all but a few rail specialists was to dismiss the lot of us (in the condescending and patronising tone we have now come to expect) as "critics and naysayers".

Synonyms

• pessimist, doubter, cynic

Antonyms

• yeasayer, yea-sayer

Related terms

• naysaying, nay-saying

Translations

consistent critic

Arabic: مُتَعَرِّض m (mutaʕarriḍ), عَارِض m (ʕāriḍ) Chinese: Mandarin: 反對者 / 反对者 (zh) (fǎnduìzhě), 批評者 / 批评者 (zh) (pīpíngzhě) Finnish: vastarannan kiiski (fi); änkyrä (fi) (aggressive) German: Neinsager (de) m, Nein-Sager m, Neinsagerin (de) f, Nein-Sagerin f, Abstreiter (de) m, Kritiker (de) m, Lästerer m Plautdietsch: Dreikopp m Spanish: detractor (es) m, escéptico (es) m, opositor (es) m, negativista m or f

References

• “naysayer”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.