refutation
Americannoun
noun
-
the act or process of refuting
-
something that refutes; disproof
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of refutation
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin refūtātiōn-, stem of refūtātiō, from refūtāt(us) “checked, rebutted” (past participle of refūtāre “to check, suppress, refute, rebut”; see refute) + -iō -ion
Explanation
A refutation proves that something is false. Refutations pop up often in law debates and philosophical arguments. While a validation tells you something is true, a refutation does the opposite: it says or proves that something is untrue, refuting the claim. In court, a witness might offer a refutation of a suspect's alibi to show he's lying. If someone calls you a liar, you probably should give them a refutation — make the case that you're a person who tells the truth.
Vocabulary lists containing refutation
Introducing Rhetoric: Using the "Available Means" (Chapter 1)
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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Analyzing Arguments: From Reading to Writing (Chapter 3)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Refutation of counterclaims disproves or rules out objections.
From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021
His 1979 exhibition “A New Refutation of the Viking 4 Space Mission” presented the city as it might appear to visitors from Mars.
From New York Times • May 25, 2016
Refutation also allows restaurant chains to avoid customer outcry when making changes and when they can’t provide an item in-store.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 27, 2014
Even that ambitious passage from his 1947 essay A New Refutation of Time contains a self-effacing shuffle.
From Time Magazine Archive
A Refutation was prepared by Eck and others, and read before the Diet on August 3.
From The Age of the Reformation by Smith, Preserved
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
