NAYSAYER Synonyms: 21 Similar and Opposite Words

naysayer

noun

ˈnā-ˌsā-ər

Definition of naysayer

as in cynic

a person who distrusts other people and believes that everything is done for selfish reasons those naysayers who attack the integrity of the entire judicial system

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of naysayer New York City’s election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor has only supercharged the state’s naysayers, including a public feud by Mamdani and Griffin over taxing the rich. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026 But David Vélez has built a $13 billion fortune proving the naysayers wrong. — Jeff Kauflin, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026 There have been naysayers about the effectiveness of a Comic-Con panel. — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2026 Whatever a naysayer of the sport in this country wants to say about it, professional soccer and expectations for the national teams are part of the American sports culture now. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for naysayer

Recent Examples of Synonyms for naysayer

Noun

That the earnestness the genre requires galls us cynics, who love to hide in our books, away from all those pesky bodies in the first place?

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
Questions about whose interests Infantino is serving have developed beyond average cynics who tend to suspect this type of thing.

— Simon Hughes, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of cynic

Noun

Others felt Gibson critics were overreacting to his attempt at humor in Toronto over the weekend.

— Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
Religious law as a rival legal system One common target is sharia, which critics often describe as a competing legal system poised to displace American law.

— Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of critic

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“Naysayer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/naysayer. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of naysayer

noun

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