rebuttal
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rebuttal
Explanation
When two people debate, one of them makes an argument, and the other follows with a rebuttal, which, plainly put, is the "No, you're wrong, and this is why" argument. We often associate rebuttals with arguments made in the courtroom or public debates that occur around election time, but the word can really apply to any situation in which an argument is put forth and someone disagrees and explains why. Sports fans, for instance, like to argue about the likely winner of an upcoming game, and when you make a case for why your friend is wrong, you are offering a rebuttal of his argument.
Vocabulary lists containing rebuttal
Argumentative Writing
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Rhetoric
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The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 1
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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.
See Examples For:
When the Ayush Ministry challenged one of them, he responded with a detailed scientific rebuttal - and moved on.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Perhaps just as important is that the Tartan Army’s presence can’t help but feel like a rebuttal to the cartoon masculinity here at home.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
Erica Donald’s three-word rebuttal on X to speculation about her husband playing football again was also light-hearted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Fellow demonstrator Etleva Merko said that the protesters were "not against development of Albania" -- a rebuttal to Prime Minister Rama's accusations in recent days.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
Face stinging from Meir’s cold rebuttal, I looked down.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
After scrapping the Harris endorsement, he overhauled the opinion section, calling for critical pieces to be accompanied by rebuttals and requesting to review columns before publication.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
After critics blamed lobbyists for Slater’s ouster, Davis posted several rebuttals External link on X.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken to all-caps rebuttals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025
Each candidate will have one minute for rebuttals.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2024
We read of technical studies claiming to demonstrate inborn differences, and we also read rebuttals claiming that those studies suffer from technical flaws.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
