refute

means 'to prove (something) false by argument', and the element 'by argument' is important; it should not be used simply as an alternative for deny or repudiate(or in some cases reject or dispute) which imply straightforward rejection without argument. In the first of the following examples refute is used appropriately, whereas in the second it is not:

The criticisms...that Ruskin saw architecture only two-dimensionally, and that he never seems to have looked at a building structurally, are refuted with ample quotations—Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 1979

☒ I refute Mr Bodey's allegation that it is our policy not to observe publication dates—Bookseller, 1980

A following that-clause is a sure sign that refute is being used wrongly:

☒ While economics professor Fred Gottheil admitted that the nation is experiencing an economic dip, he refuted that the economy is in a recession—Language Log, American English 2004 [Old English (up to 1150)C].

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