Definition of refutationnext
as in rebuttal
something (as an argument) that serves to disprove these are hard scientific facts against which there can be no reasonable refutation

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Example Sentences

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 refutation That is not a refutation of any of those disruption stories individually. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2026 Or a refutation of activism — Zayd admires his parents’ commitment. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026 The death of New START represents the refutation of those decades of work. — Matthew Gault, Wired News, 9 Feb. 2026 However, some legal experts and investors are anticipating a partial or full refutation of the president’s IEEPA tariffs, as the justices showed skepticism during arguments about the president’s authority to levy such taxes without Congressional approval. — Jake Angelo, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for refutation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refutation
Noun
  • Of the thirty-seven authors of the rebuttal, six were employees of the Alzheimer’s Association, and nearly two-thirds disclosed recent relationships with Biogen, Eisai, or Lilly.
    — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Thoreau’s essay, however, offers a direct rebuttal to an earlier text written by English clergyman and Utilitarian philosopher William Paley.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • On a Sunday afternoon in July, while much of the world watched the World Cup final, a counterexample was found to the Jacobian conjecture, a problem that had resisted proof or disproof since 1939.
    — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Non-falsifiable and untestable hypotheses cannot be checked out, and hence those ideas are incapable of disproof.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026

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“Refutation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refutation. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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