Well-read · Often misused · Arguing & persuading
Refute: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Refute verb. To prove that a statement or argument is wrong.
How to say it
rih-FYOOT/rɪˈfjuːt/
2 syllables, stressed on the second (FYOOT). Forms: refutes, refuted.
Refute in a sentence
The new data refutes the claim that the drug is safe.
She refuted his figures one by one, with the receipts to show it.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
Opposite:
- prove
- confirm
- support
Careful
To refute is to prove wrong. Using it for simply denying ('he refuted the allegations') is very common and now in dictionaries, but it claims a proof you may not have given; 'deny' or 'reject' is safer.
Where refute comes from
From Latin refutare, to drive back or repel.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
She _____ his figures one by one, with the receipts to show it.
- comprise
- refute
- decimate
Show the answer
refute: She refuted his figures one by one, with the receipts to show it.