Synonyms of refuted

refuted

verb

past tense of refute

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• denied
• rejected
• contradicted
• disavowed
• disclaimed
• disowned
• disallowed
• repudiated
• negated
• gainsaid
• disconfirmed
• disaffirmed
• disproved
• rebutted
• traversed
• negatived
• challenged
• disputed
• confuted
• disagreed (with)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confirmed
• admitted
• acknowledged
• owned
• allowed
• adopted
• conceded
• accepted
• submitted
• claimed
• asserted
• affirmed
• embraced
• announced
• declared
• maintained
• avowed
• verified
• espoused
• averred
• professed
• corroborated
• validated
• substantiated
• authenticated

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• discredited
• overturned
• disproved
• rebutted
• challenged
• discussed
• falsified
• debunked
• questioned
• confuted
• disconfirmed
• belied
• confounded
• shot down
• contested
• doubted
• debated
• gave the lie to
• overthrew
• queried
• mistrusted
• mooted
• talked over
• hashed (over)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• established
• confirmed
• proved
• verified
• validated
• recorded
• showed
• supported
• documented
• evidenced
• witnessed
• identified
• corroborated
• demonstrated
• backed (up)
• attested
• substantiated
• illustrated
• certified
• evinced
• displayed
• manifested
• buttressed
• adduced
• authenticated

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of refuted

Players from that 1951 side have strongly refuted the story, while the priest at its centre has never been identified. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026

The country's health minister, David Kershenobich, refuted the FDA's assertion on July 21. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 22 July 2026

That would have dedicated more than a tenth of the NIH’s annual budget to investigating a hypothesis already refuted by scientists worldwide. — CNN Money, 16 July 2026

North Crowley head coach DeMarcus Harris refuted the claim, saying there was no distinct evidence the move was made for athletic reasons, and supported Parks’ claim that Meredith had friends in the North Crowley community. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026

Wainger also refuted the assertion that Pennel had expected to be arrested. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

Reports emerged earlier this year that Beatrice and Eugenie were not invited to Royal Ascot, only to be refuted by subsequent reports claiming that they were invited, after all. — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 28 June 2026

After her daughter's murder, Franchetti began a grassroots movement to rewrite family court law, but the legislation was held up by legal language that might have greenlighted hearsay allegations or the potential for false claims that couldn't be refuted. — Jennifer McLogan, CBS News, 12 June 2026

That same year, Patricia Richardson refuted the possibility of returning to the characters while appearing on the Back to the Best podcast. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026