refute

(rĭ-fyūt')
tr.v., -fut·ed, -fut·ing, -futes.

1. To prove to be false or erroneous; overthrow by argument or proof: refute testimony.
2. To deny the accuracy or truth of: refuted the results of the poll.

[Latin refūtāre.]

refutability re·fut'a·bil'i·ty (rĭ-fyū'tə-bĭl'ĭ-tē, rĕf'yə-tə-) n.
refutable re·fut'a·ble (rĭ-fyū'tə-bəl, rĕf'yə-tə-) adj.
refutably re·fut'a·bly adv.
refuter re·fut'er n.

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should be pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, although a second-syllable stress is increasingly common.

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verb

To prove or show to be false: belie, confute, discredit, disprove, rebut. See affirm/deny/argue.

v

Definition: prove false; discredit
Antonyms: accept, confirm, endorse, prove, ratify, sanction, support

To disprove. This is a success word; to attempt to disprove something is to argue against it or to reject it, repudiate it, or rebut it, but not yet to refute it.

IN BRIEF: To prove to be wrong or false.

Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute. — Josh Billings (1856-1950)

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For a list of words related to refute, see:

• Reasoning and Informing - refute: prove a statement wrong

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See words rhyming with "refuter."

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - modbevise, imødegå

Nederlands (Dutch)
weerleggen, ontzenuwen, ontkennen (zonder argumenten)

Français (French)
v. tr. - réfuter

Deutsch (German)
v. - widerlegen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - ανασκευάζω, διαψεύδω, ανατρέπω, αντικρούω

Italiano (Italian)
confutare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - refutar

Русский (Russian)
опровергнуть

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - refutar, rebatir

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - vederlägga

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
驳倒, 反驳

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 駁倒, 反駁

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - (논리를) 반박하다, 잘못을 밝히다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 論破する, やりこめる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يدحض, يفند‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הפריך, סתר‬

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