irrefutable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irrefutable
1610–20; < Late Latin irrefūtābilis. See ir- 2, refutable ( def. )
Explanation
Have you ever had to prove a point? If so, you probably needed to find evidence that could not be denied — that was absolutely true. That evidence would be considered irrefutable, impossible to disprove. The adjective irrefutable comes from the Latin verb refutāre, "repel or beat," with the added negative prefix in-. Some things are simply irrefutable. These are things based in logic (if a=b and b=c, then a=c), or in fact (George Washington was the first president of the United States). But some things that are irrefutable, while maybe not logical, are simply not arguable, as when someone responds to "Why not?" with "Because I don't want to"!
Vocabulary lists containing irrefutable
Stamped
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Catching Fire
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Siddhartha
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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.
But what’s irrefutable is that she knows how lonely it is not to be able to communicate the world inside her head, and how painful it is not to understand others the same way.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
The judge said the "irrefutable conclusion" was that Donaghy had intended to prevent disclosure of information.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
She requested the US provide "irrefutable" evidence before handing over Rocha, who is very close to her mentor, former president Andrew Manuel Lopez Obrador.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Covid-19 stole some of that progress, but the advancements remain irrefutable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“I don’t have to be careful as long as I have you around to shine ’em up,” his father retorted, not gruffly, but as a statement of irrefutable fact.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
