argument: Meaning and Definition of

ar•gu•ment

Pronunciation: (är'gyu-munt), [key]
— n.
  1. an oral disagreement; verbal opposition; contention; altercation: a violent argument.
  2. a discussion involving differing points of view; debate: They were deeply involved in an argument about inflation.
  3. a process of reasoning; series of reasons: I couldn't follow his argument.
  4. a statement, reason, or fact for or against a point: This is a strong argument in favor of her theory.
  5. an address or composition intended to convince or persuade; persuasive discourse.
  6. subject matter; theme: The central argument of his paper was presented clearly.
  7. an abstract or summary of the major points in a work of prose or poetry, or of sections of such a work.
    1. an independent variable of a function.
    2. Also calledamplitude.the angle made by a given vector with the reference axis.
    3. the angle corresponding to a point representing a given complex number in polar coordinates. Cf. principal argument.
  8. a variable in a program, to which a value will be assigned when the program is run: often given in parentheses following a function name and used to calculate the function.
    1. evidence or proof.
    2. a matter of contention.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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