refute
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refute
- /ɹɪˈfjuːt/ UK
- /ɹəˈfjuːt/ UK
- /ɹɪˈfjut/ Canada, US
- /ɹəˈfjut/ Canada, US
- /ɹɪˈfjʉːt/ Australia
- /ɹəˈfjʉːt/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -uːt
Where it comes from
From Latin refūtō (“refute, repudiate”).
verb refutes · refuting · refuted · refute
-
To prove (something) to be false or incorrect.
After we came out of the church, we stood talking for some time together of Bishop Berkeley's ingenious sophistry to prove the non-existence of matter, and that every thing in the universe is merely ideal. I observed, that though we are satisfied his doctrine is not true, it is impossible to refute
Similar: debunk, disprove, rebut, confound · Opposite: confirm, affirm, demonstrate, prove
-
To deny the truth or correctness of (something); to reject or disagree with an accusation.
A spokesperson for VARS Technology said: “We completely refute the suggestion that our market-leading ANPR system is unreliable".
Similar: dispute, deny, repudiate, rebut, gainsay, counterargue, reject · Opposite: affirm, accept, embrace, profess
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: disprove, controvert, rebut, gainsay, contradict, negate, counteract, deny, repudiate, reject, invalidate, recuse, contest, dispute, refuse, counter
Translations
Every language
verb to prove (something) to be false or incorrect
| Español | refutar, rebatir, negar la mayor, ripostar, impugnar, salir al paso de |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 言い返す iikaesu, 反駁する hambaku suru |
| 中文 | 反駁 /反驳 fǎnbó |
| हिन्दी | दूषण dūṣaṇ |
| Português | refutar, desmentir |
| Français | réfuter |
| Deutsch | widerlegen, entkräften |
| Italiano | smentire |
| Ελληνικά | αντικρούω antikroúo, ανασκευάζω anaskevázo |
| Română | refuta |
| Русский | опроверга́ть oprovergátʹ, опрове́ргнуть oprovérgnutʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | bác bỏ |
| العربية | دَحَضَ daḥaḍa, أَدْحَضَ ʔadḥaḍa, فَنَّدَ fannada |
| עברית | הִפְרִיךְ hifrikh |
verb to deny the truth or correctness of (something)
| Español | negar rehusar, rechazar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 言い返す iikaesu, 反駁する hambaku suru, 反証する hanshō suru |
| Português | negar |
| Français | rejeter, contester, chicaner, récuser |
| Deutsch | anfechten, widersprechen |
| Italiano | smentire |
| Ελληνικά | διαψεύδω diapsévdo |
| Русский | отрица́ть otricátʹ |
| العربية | كَذَّبَ kaḏḏaba |
Talk about this word "refute." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/refute. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. refute. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/refute "refute." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/refute.Cite this
@misc{refute_2026,
title = {refute},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/refute},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
