What does disagreeing mean?
Disagreeing is the present participle of disagree and normally describes people, positions, statements, or results that do not align. A person who is disagreeing with a proposal may object to it on policy or factual grounds, while a judge might find that evidence is disagreeing with an earlier account. The word is neutral in tone and appears in everyday discussion as well as formal debate, although the disagreement it describes may carry an implication of conflict. In contemporary usage, disagreeing most often takes “with” for an opinion and “about” or “on” for the subject in dispute. It should not be confused with disagreeable, which means unpleasant or objectionable. As a rare literary adjective, disagreeing can also mean unpleasant, but that older sense is much less common than the participial use. Disagreeing is useful because it describes not only an argument but the broader condition of ideas, observations, or results failing to correspond.
Holding or expressing a different opinion, or failing to match another statement, result, or set of facts.
"The two committee members were disagreeing over how the funds should be allocated."
This is the dominant modern use. It commonly occurs with “with,” “about,” or “on.”
Unpleasant or objectionable; disagreeable.
"The prospect of another long meeting was distinctly disagreeing."
This sense is rare and literary rather than part of ordinary contemporary usage.
To disagree is to agree on one point: you do not agree.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
How disagreeing is actually used
The word is neutral in tone and common in both formal and informal English. In its dominant participial use, “with” introduces the person or position being opposed, while “about” or “on” introduces the subject of the disagreement. The rare literary adjective sense meaning “unpleasant” should be distinguished from the modern participial senses.
Easily confused with disagreeing
Disagreeable means unpleasant or objectionable, whereas disagreeing normally means holding or expressing a different opinion.