# argument

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɑːɡjʊmənt/ · frequency rank #2,282

## Definitions
1. A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.
2. A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.
3. A process of reasoning; argumentation.
4. An abstract or summary of the content of a literary work such as a book, a poem or a major section such as a chapter, included in the work before the content itself; (figuratively) the contents themselves.
5. A verbal dispute; a quarrel.
6. Any dispute, altercation, or collision.
7. Any of the phrases that bear a syntactic connection to the verb of a clause.
8. The independent variable of a function.
9. The phase of a complex number.
10. A quantity on which the calculation of another quantity depends.
11. A value, or a reference to a value, passed to a function.
12. A parameter at a function call; an actual parameter, as opposed to a formal parameter.
13. A matter in question; a business in hand.
14. The subject matter of an artistic representation, discourse, or writing; a theme or topic.
15. Evidence, proof; (countable) an item of such evidence or proof.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Latin arguō
Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥
Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom
Proto-Italic *-məntom
Latin -mentum
Latin argūmentumder.
Anglo-Norman arguementbor.
Middle English argument
English argument
From Middle English argument, from Anglo-Norman and Old French arguement, from Latin argumentum. The English word is analysable as argue + -ment. Doublet of argumentum.
Displaced native Old English racu and ġeflit.

## Easily confused with
- **augment** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/argument-vs-augment)
- **armament** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/argument-vs-armament)
- **arguments** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/argument-vs-arguments)
- **argent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/argent-vs-argument)

## Common misspellings (12)
`agrument`, `arggument`, `argmuent`, `arguemnt`, `argumennt`, `argumentt`, `argumetn`, `argumment`, `argumnet`, `arrgument`, `arugment`, `ragument`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/argument