counterexample

noun

coun·​ter·​ex·​am·​ple ˈkau̇n-tər-ig-ˌzam-pəl 

: an example that refutes or disproves a proposition or theory

Examples of counterexample in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In other words, a counterexample to the lonely runner conjecture couldn’t exist — at least, not for eight runners. —Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026

Menendez is one counterexample, and Epstein himself was a billionaire who died in a jail cell, after all. —Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026

The Bediako case is a nice counterexample to the favoritism argument; the first judge stepped aside when his relationship with the university, or at least the coverage and commentary surrounding it, was too close-knit to be ignored, and the second judge ruled against his alma mater. —Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026

Brazil’s Family Health Strategy offers a counterexample. —David Walcott, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for counterexample

• hippocampal
• ample
• sample
• trample
• example
• subsample