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confute

[ kuhn-fyoot ]
/ kənˈfyut /
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See synonyms for confute on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), con·fut·ed, con·fut·ing.
to prove to be false, invalid, or defective; disprove: to confute an argument.
to prove (a person) to be wrong by argument or proof: to confute one's opponent.
Obsolete. to bring to naught; confound.
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Origin of confute

1520–30; <Latin confūtāre to abash, silence, refute, equivalent to con-con- + -fūtāre;cf. refute

OTHER WORDS FROM confute

Words nearby confute

confused flour beetle, confusing, confusion, confusticate, confutation, confute, Cong, conga, con game, Congaree, congé
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to confute

break, confound, contradict, controvert, defeat, demolish, dismay, disprove, expose, invalidate, negate, oppugn, overcome, overthrow, overturn, overwhelm, parry, rebut, silence, subvert

How to use confute in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for confute

confute
/ (kənˈfjuːt) /
verb (tr)
to prove (a person or thing) wrong, invalid, or mistaken; disprove
obsolete to put an end to

Derived forms of confute

confutable, adjectiveconfutation (ˌkɒnfjʊˈteɪʃən), nounconfutative, adjectiveconfuter, noun

Word Origin for confute

C16: from Latin confūtāre to check, silence
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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