refutation
Americannoun
noun
-
the act or process of refuting
-
something that refutes; disproof
Other Word Forms
- nonrefutal noun
- nonrefutation noun
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.
Index funds add marginal exposure to stocks as they make relative gains, a seeming refutation of the age-old maxim to buy low, sell high.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Every single refutation of their conspiracy theory just proves that the conspiracy goes even further and deeper than they thought.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 10, 2025
He also coauthored a detailed refutation of the theory that the Taurid swarm caused a global climate disaster 12,900 years ago.
From Science Daily • Oct. 31, 2025
Pitts still sees the hat as a kind of refutation of tribalism—something that seems worth striving for but harder to manifest with each passing election.
From Slate • Dec. 18, 2024
Stevens was too scared to ask for refutation.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
