refute

re·fute

R0121700 (rĭ-fyo͞ot′)tr.v. re·fut·ed, re·fut·ing, re·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.3. Usage Problem To repudiate.

[Latin refūtāre; see bhau- in Indo-European roots.]

re·fut′a·bil′i·ty (rĭ-fyo͞o′tə-bĭl′ĭ-tē, rĕf′yə-tə-) n.re·fut′a·ble (rĭ-fyo͞o′tə-bəl, rĕf′yə-tə-) adj.re·fut′a·bly adv.re·fut′er n.Usage Note: Traditionally, the verb refute has two meanings. The first is "to prove to be false or erroneous," as in Charges of institutional bias against women were refuted by an analysis of the employment data. In this example, it is clear that an argument was mustered to demonstrate the falsity of the charges. This usage is well established as standard. The second meaning is "to deny the accuracy of," and in this use there is no mention or implication of mustering evidence or detailed reasoning. Rather, the refutation exists as a simple statement or claim. This second use has been criticized as incorrect or inappropriate since the early 1900s, despite being common. A majority of the Usage Panel accepts the use as a synonym of deny, but not by a wide margin. In our 2002 survey, 62 percent accepted the example In the press conference, the senator categorically refuted the charges of malfeasance but declined to go into details. This suggests that many readers are uncomfortable with this usage and would prefer to see deny in these contexts. Beyond these two meanings, refute is sometimes used to mean "to deny the validity of, repudiate," as in Observers are expecting the appeals court to refute the Microsoft breakup. The Panel has scant affection for this usage. Some 89 percent rejected the example just quoted in the 2002 survey.

refute

(rɪˈfjuːt) vb1. (tr) to prove (a statement, theory, charge, etc) of (a person) to be false or incorrect; disprove2. to deny (a claim, charge, allegation, etc)[C16: from Latin refūtāre to rebut] refutable adj refutability n ˈrefutably adv reˈfuter nUsage: The use of refute to mean deny is thought by many people to be incorrect

re•fute

(rɪˈfyut)

v.t. -fut•ed, -fut•ing. 1. to prove to be false or erroneous, as an opinion or charge. 2. to prove (a person) to be in error. [1505–15; < Latin refūtāre to check, suppress, refute, rebut =re- re- + -fūtāre presumably, “to beat” (attested only with the prefixes con- and re-; compare confute)] re•fut•a•ble (rɪˈfyu tə bəl, ˈrɛf yə tə-) adj. re•fut`a•bil′i•ty, n. re•fut′a•bly, adv. re•fut′er, n.

rebut, refute - To rebut a statement is to offer clear evidence or a reasoned argument against it; to refute a statement is to prove it wrong (neither means "contradict" or "deny").See also related terms for prove.

refute

Past participle: refuted
Gerund: refuting

Imperative
refute
refute

Present
I refute
you refute
he/she/it refutes
we refute
you refute
they refute

Preterite
I refuted
you refuted
he/she/it refuted
we refuted
you refuted
they refuted

Present Continuous
I am refuting
you are refuting
he/she/it is refuting
we are refuting
you are refuting
they are refuting

Present Perfect
I have refuted
you have refuted
he/she/it has refuted
we have refuted
you have refuted
they have refuted

Past Continuous
I was refuting
you were refuting
he/she/it was refuting
we were refuting
you were refuting
they were refuting

Past Perfect
I had refuted
you had refuted
he/she/it had refuted
we had refuted
you had refuted
they had refuted

Future
I will refute
you will refute
he/she/it will refute
we will refute
you will refute
they will refute

Future Perfect
I will have refuted
you will have refuted
he/she/it will have refuted
we will have refuted
you will have refuted
they will have refuted

Future Continuous
I will be refuting
you will be refuting
he/she/it will be refuting
we will be refuting
you will be refuting
they will be refuting

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been refuting
you have been refuting
he/she/it has been refuting
we have been refuting
you have been refuting
they have been refuting

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been refuting
you will have been refuting
he/she/it will have been refuting
we will have been refuting
you will have been refuting
they will have been refuting

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been refuting
you had been refuting
he/she/it had been refuting
we had been refuting
you had been refuting
they had been refuting

Conditional
I would refute
you would refute
he/she/it would refute
we would refute
you would refute
they would refute

Past Conditional
I would have refuted
you would have refuted
he/she/it would have refuted
we would have refuted
you would have refuted
they would have refuted

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	refute - overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof; "The speaker refuted his opponent's arguments"rebutrepudiate, disown, renounce - cast off; "She renounced her husband"; "The parents repudiated their son"controvert, contradict, oppose - be resistant to; "The board opposed his motion"answer - give a defence or refutation of (a charge) or in (an argument); "The defendant answered to all the charges of the prosecution"
	2.	refute - prove to be false or incorrectcontrovert, rebutconfute, disprove - prove to be false; "The physicist disproved his colleagues' theories"

refute

verb disprove, counter, discredit, prove false, silence, overthrow, negate, rebut, give the lie to, blow out of the water (slang), confute It was the kind of rumour that is impossible to refute.
prove, confirm, substantiateUsage: The use of refute to mean deny as in I'm not refuting the fact that is thought by some people to be incorrect. In careful writing it may be advisable to use refute only where there is an element of disproving something through argument and evidence, as in we haven't got evidence to refute their hypothesis.

refute

verbTo prove or show to be false:belie, confute, discredit, disprove, rebut.

Translations

反驳

refute

(rəˈfjuːt) verb to prove that (a person, statement etc) is wrong. You can easily refute his argument.反驳reˈfutable adjective可驳斥的ˌrefuˈtation (refju-) noun反驳

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Synonyms for refute

verb disprove

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Antonyms

Synonyms for refute

verb to prove or show to be false

Synonyms

Synonyms for refute

verb overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof

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Related Words

verb prove to be false or incorrect

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Related Words