Meaning & use
naysayer
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Meaning
nouncountable
Someone who keeps saying that a plan will not work or is a bad idea.
Grammar: Often plural: ignore the naysayers.
Patterns
- ignore the naysayers
- prove the naysayers wrong
The naysayers said the café would close within a year, but it is still busy.
She refused to listen to the naysayers and trained for the marathon anyway.
Every new idea in the office seems to meet one naysayer.
Word forms
| plural | naysayers |
|---|
Common combinations
- prove the naysayers wrong
- The young team proved the naysayers wrong by winning the title.
- ignore the naysayers
- You have to ignore the naysayers if you want to try something new.
- despite the naysayers
- Despite the naysayers, the bridge was finished on time.
- a chorus of naysayers
- The plan met a chorus of naysayers at the meeting.
- critics and naysayers
- Both critics and naysayers were silenced by the sales figures.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pessimist
- A pessimist expects bad outcomes in general, while a naysayer actively speaks against particular plans.
- doubter
- Doubter is more neutral, since doubting can be reasonable, whereas naysayer suggests a habit of negativity.
- critic
- A critic judges something in detail and may be fair, while a naysayer rejects ideas by reflex.
- killjoy
- A killjoy spoils other people's fun, but a naysayer mainly predicts that things will fail.
Opposites
Word family
- naysaying noun
- the habit of opposing or doubting ideas
- naysay verb
- to oppose or speak against something
- nay noun
- a vote or answer of no
- yea-sayer noun
- someone who agrees with everything
Commonly confused: naysayer or nay?
naysayer vs nay
Nay is a way of saying no, especially in voting. A naysayer is a person who habitually says no to ideas.
Practice
The inventor ignored the ___ who said nobody would buy a phone with no buttons.
Choose one answer.
Naysayers are people who habitually say a plan will fail. Cheerleaders and admirers would support the idea, and investors does not suggest any attitude.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “naysayer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.