to refute
88
6.2
- verb
- /rɪˈfjuːt/
- Formal
:
refutar
- The evidence presented in the trial helped to refute the defendant's alibi.
- refute the argument
- refute the claim
- support or refute
He says it knows how to refute it and destroy it.
- He says it knows how to refute it and destroy it.
- OK, that's since I, I, I refute that in its entirety.
- And this law essentially refutes the possibility of that.
- This is, by the way, the word for refuting somebody in argument.
- And there's no logical reason that I can see to refute your intuition there.
- But what you're saying refutes that in every continent of this planet, right?
- That's a very good question, and it can be a difficult point to refute.
- We made that claim in our legal case and the university's experts were not able to refute it.
- That's not helping me refute the condition that I'm in.
Examples
-
As to this outrageous accusation, I shall refute it!
-
Further studies on large series of patients are needed to confirm or refute these suspicions.
Academic text (1999) -
We have no proof to refute it.
-
As discussed below, there are two arguments that together refute this line of thinking.
Academic text (2017) -
And we are currently in the process of refuting the results of that investigation.
-
I know of no fact which would refute the Commission's conclusion that Lee Oswald was the lone killer.
-
The coroner's report absolutely refutes any implication of sexual abuse to the boy.
-
She was able to refute the claims against her with solid facts and clear reasoning.
-
His research aims to refute the long-held belief that the Earth is flat.
Synonyms
174
3.7
To say that something is not true or the opposite of what someone says
66
4.5
To show that an idea or claim is not true
57
5.7
To show that an idea or claim is false with clear facts
52
5.3
To make something no longer work or be true
21
7.0
To say or show that a claim is wrong
16
5.6
To say that something is not true or trustworthy
15
5.2
Show that the opposite is true
12
7.2
To show that an idea or claim is not true
1
7.4
To show by facts that an idea or belief is not true
1
8.3
To say that an idea or claim is not true
1
8.3
To say that a statement is not true
Data that shows a claim is wrong
To show a person's idea is wrong using facts or clear arguments
Antonyms
How Convincing
66
4.5
- Formal
88
6.2
- Formal
65
4.6
- Formal
552
4.3
∞
2.0
Surface Forms
Etymology
Refute comes from the Latin refutare, which means 'to drive back' or 'push away'. So, to refute an idea is like pushing that idea back with facts or proof to show it is wrong.