REFUTED Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

refuted

verb

past tense of refute

as in denied

to declare not to be true while he was publicly refuting rumors of a merger, behind the scenes the CEO was working to effect that very outcome

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as in discredited

to prove to be false the victories of African-American athlete Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics effectively refuted the racial views of the Nazis

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of refuted But Wright, the center’s attorney, refuted this, telling The Times that two investigations were done by independent third parties. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 According to the Public Defender's Office, officers falsely claimed that Gibson had assaulted them by biting, punching, and wrapping a radio cord around an officer's neck, claims later refuted by video evidence. — Senior Editor, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 But Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve refuted those ideas prior to her Game 2 first-round loss. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 Oct. 2026 Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork refuted those reports multiple times. — Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 At the root of it all is negligence, which is refuted and embodied by our challenging heroine. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026 On September 16, a statement from Buckingham Palace (per People) refuted Spencer’s assertions. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 16 Sep. 2026 Trump’s allegations of massive voting fraud have been refuted by a variety of judges, state election officials and members of his first administration who were in office during the 2020 election. — Melissa Goldin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 Another group of scholars eventually refuted the claims in 2023, contending the ring had no connection to anyone named Pilate. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuted

Verb

In a 2024 interview with TIME, Netanyahu denied making the statement, insisting that the payments were meant to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
German authorities blamed that on Russia, an allegation denied by Moscow.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of denied

Verb

Milli Vanilli won a Grammy, got all this attention and then got discredited and didn’t replace Barbra Streisand or Bruce Springsteen or Taylor Swift or the Eurythmics or The Rolling Stones.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Scientists have thoroughly discredited such claims for decades.

— Ashique KhudaBukhsh, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of discredited

Verb

In February, the High Court ruled it unlawful and disproportionate, but the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling in June.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Last year, Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori ⁠challenged the ban and the High Court ruled in her favor in February, before the Court of Appeal overturned that decision in June.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of overturned

Verb

After the boutique’s statement, Clarkson doubled down on her claims on her Instagram stories with photos featuring a price tag on the bird that contradicted the shop’s first statement.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
In the postgame report, the head official contradicted that, saying New York did have their timeout.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of contradicted

Verb

Tripp Gibson, James Hoye, Nic Lentz and Gabe Morales all were challenged twice and confirmed twice.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
The archaic legal restrictions restricting same-sex couples or unmarried women, for example, are acknowledged and adhered to, rather than being openly challenged or criticized.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of challenged

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“Refuted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refuted. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of refuted

verb

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