as in disproving
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in denying
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 discrediting
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of refuting
Sharareh Drury, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
King’s break with Johnson was not about refuting his historic contributions.
—Mark Conway, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2026
That’s not refuting the secrecy.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Amidst the other claims, this one has hit hard at Beast Industries, and the company got quite personal in refuting it.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
At the start of Thursday’s stream, Feherty offered up a general criticism of the integrity of news organizations while refuting the reports.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2026
The documentary is already stirring up buzz due to Odom’s recent comments refuting some of the details and recollections from his ex-wife Khloé Kardashian.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Gould had re-released his own book with new material refuting those arguments.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 7 Apr. 2026
Late in the evening, the sheriff's office posted that no injuries or deaths had been reported from the storm, refuting social media rumors.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
Anne Hathaway is refuting online speculation over whether she's had a facelift.
—Sharareh Drury, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
King’s break with Johnson was not about refuting his historic contributions.
—Mark Conway, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2026
That’s not refuting the secrecy.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
Amidst the other claims, this one has hit hard at Beast Industries, and the company got quite personal in refuting it.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
At the start of Thursday’s stream, Feherty offered up a general criticism of the integrity of news organizations while refuting the reports.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2026
The documentary is already stirring up buzz due to Odom’s recent comments refuting some of the details and recollections from his ex-wife Khloé Kardashian.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Gould had re-released his own book with new material refuting those arguments.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 7 Apr. 2026
Late in the evening, the sheriff's office posted that no injuries or deaths had been reported from the storm, refuting social media rumors.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuting
Verb
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Building such strategic trust doesn’t require an elimination of differences or denying competition, Lam said.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
-
The reassurances by his spouse and his aides denying that the 81-year-old president was suffering from cognitive decline wouldn't be enough.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Orbán’s rule was marked by a sprawling media ecosystem, which for years served as a loyal mouthpiece for his Fidesz party while discrediting, defaming and intimidating his opponents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
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My fear is that poor implementation and, above all, a failure to take accountability seriously will end up discrediting good ideas.—
Rachel Canter,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After initially rejecting a sanctuary city designation and related proposals, the council later adopted a broader resolution aimed at protecting immigrant communities.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
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The act also is seen as a symbol of rejecting evil and a commemoration of the Prophet Ibrahim’s rejection of temptation when the devil tried to dissuade him from submitting to God’s will.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Verb
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South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson disagreed with the court overturning Murdaugh's convictions.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
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What has happened is that SpaceX is the first of a growing number of companies that are overturning and replacing the business models that have dominated the space sector since the beginning.—
David Szondy
May 31,
New Atlas,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Those goals are not contradictory.—
Susana A. Mendoza,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
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Trump has been against state AI regulation over fears that the contradictory interstate regulatory framework could hamstring AI innovation and allow China to get the upper hand.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The struggle between the federal agent and the two men lasted about 12 seconds, contradicting the agent’s account that he was engaged in a struggle for about three minutes before the shooting.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
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Bounphong, in an interview on Thursday with local media outlet Xaisomboun Province Television, said the villagers entered the cave on May 20, contradicting rescuers who put the date at May 19.—
Jintamas Saksornchai,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Let’s mull this over by considering the act of proving something versus disproving something.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Eisman's work included disproving a theory that the small-bladed plant was a hybrid of another species in North America.—
Joe Holden,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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Nereyda Hernandez had just given a speech, and was one of the first LGBTQ activists to leave the scene once the opposing protesters arrived.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
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Instead of pretending to be doctors attempting to remove body parts from a patient, however, Unethical Hoops players act as members of an opposing basketball team trying to take the ball from a cartoon character who very much resembles Gilgeous-Alexander.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refuting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refuting. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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