Meanings
- archaicuncountableContention; striving against.
1 more example
He had come to see Ralph, but my lady took him off to one of the solars, and said briskly: 'Now, I charge you, John, no prating to my lord about all this gainstrife that is sprung up over my brother Somerset's ending, for he is nigh diswitted already by the debate, and he will not for his life mell himself in it!
1975, Georgette Heyer, My Lord John
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From gain- + strife. Compare gainstrive.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
gainstrife. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gainstrife
“gainstrife.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gainstrife. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gainstrife,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gainstrife.
Source: gainstrife on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.