1
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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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Recent Examples of refuted
The letter also refuted accusations of a bribe, which were based on a text message a Quest representative had sent Davis.
—
Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Why won’t they be refuted easily?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
The festival confirmed Tuttle would stay in place but refuted German press reports that certain conditions had been placed on the festival management.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
Noem also refuted Durbin's claim that just 14% of immigrants arrested by ICE last year have been charged with or convicted of violent crimes.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
Piner agreed to speak with detectives and refuted the allegations, the report said.
—Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union, 2 Mar. 2026
Reportedly, Jets owner Woody Johnson is forcing Glenn to call plays, but the organization has refuted those reports.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
But Judge Tharp refuted that claim, indulging in a few other jokes in his ruling.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
On Tuesday afternoon, CBS very publicly refuted Colbert’s version of events in a statement, which led to Colbert’s rejoinder on his own show.
—Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Why won’t they be refuted easily?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
The festival confirmed Tuttle would stay in place but refuted German press reports that certain conditions had been placed on the festival management.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
Noem also refuted Durbin's claim that just 14% of immigrants arrested by ICE last year have been charged with or convicted of violent crimes.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
Piner agreed to speak with detectives and refuted the allegations, the report said.
—Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union, 2 Mar. 2026
Reportedly, Jets owner Woody Johnson is forcing Glenn to call plays, but the organization has refuted those reports.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
But Judge Tharp refuted that claim, indulging in a few other jokes in his ruling.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
On Tuesday afternoon, CBS very publicly refuted Colbert’s version of events in a statement, which led to Colbert’s rejoinder on his own show.
—Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuted
Verb
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Earlier this week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Ricks' request to commute his death sentence or grant a 90-day reprieve.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The board denied renewal of Green Dot Locke High charter by a 4-3 vote, citing lower performance compared to traditional schools.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After storms and flooding across Spain, Poland and the United States in late 2024, Moscow worked to claim that support for Ukraine had left countries vulnerable, stoked grievances in NATO countries and discredited Western democracies.—
Michael Chertoff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
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The Hamas massacre of October 7—whose atrocities were broadcast online by its perpetrators and seared into the Israeli consciousness—upended and discredited this approach.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown rejected Beverly Hills’ apology after police shut down his private All-Star Weekend event, citing financial and reputational harm.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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In Shelley’s novel, the lonely creature demands a romantic companion after he is rejected by humanity.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the Lakers drew three offensive fouls on Sunday, one on a play originally called a foul on Smart but overturned because Smart was (a) in the lane but outside the restricted area and (b) not moving when OG Anunoby ran over him.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
9 Mar. 2026
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The most famous of these rulings, Citizens United, overturned longstanding limits on independent campaign expenditures by corporations and paved the way for super PACs.—
Daniel Weiner,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But another woman living in the apartment contradicted her story, telling investigators that Contreras-Mujica and Castel-Orozco had fought about Contreras-Mujica’s relationship with Ramirez on the morning of the shooting, police said in the affidavit.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
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Video of the encounter went viral and contradicted early claims by the Department of Homeland Security that Pretti had brandished a gun.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In each case, skeptics used the scientific method to produce data that disproved the incumbent theory.—
Noubar Afeyan,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
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Those claims were later disproved by multiple findings that Iraq had no such arsenal, fueling recriminations from both political parties for years.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Khalil has rebutted the government’s characterizations of his advocacy as bigoted or supportive of violence.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Alex Lanfranconi, DeSantis’ communications director, also rebutted public outcry over the footage last month.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Buffalo continued on the power play after Pittsburgh unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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But the surging inflation, lack of a large base of consumers with high disposable incomes, and low broadband access that have challenged other African streaming services have stifled Showmax’s ambitions.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refuted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refuted. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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