Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A dispute about words.
  • noun A dispute carried on in words only; a battle of words.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Contention in words merely, or a contention about words; a war of words.
  • noun A game played with cards each bearing one letter, with which words are formed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Contention in words merely, or a contention about words; a war of words.
  • noun A game of word making.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Dispute over the meaning of words
  • noun A conflict waged only as a battle of words

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun argument about words or the meaning of words

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek logomakhiā, from logomakhein, to fight about words : logo-, logo- + makhē, battle.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

logo- + -machy

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Examples

  • Jose Fierro, spelled 13 words correctly before missing "logomachy," which means a dispute over words.

    azcentral.com | news Megan Gordon 2010

  • A few distinctions might be helping, to avoid "logomachy" (thanks for that) and just simply talking past each other.

    unknown title 2008

  • To those that protested, and they were many, he said: This is no time for logomachy.

    Goliah 2010

  • Their logomachy was far more stimulating to his intellect than the reserved and quiet dogmatism of Mr. Morse.

    Chapter 13 2010

  • Saxon, on the contrary, delighted in the logomachy, though little enough she understood of it, following mainly by feeling, and once in a while catching a high light.

    CHAPTER IX 2010

  • The Internet, whose discussion forums breed even more logomachy than they allow, can darken the vision and mood of almost anybody who spends much time on it.

    Getting perspective on ecumenism Mike L 2007

  • The Internet, whose discussion forums breed even more logomachy than they allow, can darken the vision and mood of almost anybody who spends much time on it.

    Archive 2007-11-01 Mike L 2007

  • That is all a mere abuse of words, mere logomachy and ambiguity.

    A Philosophical Dictionary 2007

  • In order to confirm and establish this union, it is accompanied by a religious ceremony, regarded by some as a sacrament, and by others as a portion of public worship; a genuine logomachy, which changes nothing in the thing.

    A Philosophical Dictionary 2007

  • Given as much, I agree with the late historian of doctrine Jaroslav Pelikan that there's a special place in hell reserved for people who keep such logomachy alive, and I don't want to contribute to it here.

    Archive 2006-11-01 Mike L 2006

Comments

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  • A dispute over or about words; controversy marked by verbiage.

    May 12, 2008

  • Fortunately, disputes about words don't turn into a war of words of wordnik.

    October 4, 2021