What is a counterclaim in an argumentative essay?

A counterclaim in an argumentative essay (also called a counterargument) is a reason why people oppose your main argument, like this example:

• Main argument: It’s no longer useful for schools to teach cursive handwriting.
• Counterclaim: Schools should teach cursive handwriting so that future generations can read historical documents.
• Rebuttal: The most important historical documents have already been digitized.

A counterclaim makes your argument more trustworthy because it shows that you’ve considered multiple angles.

To find out why people oppose your argument, you often need to do research. Quillbot’s AI Search can show you academic sources on virtually any topic of debate.