REFUTED Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

refuted

verb

past tense of refute

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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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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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 refuted Wainger also refuted the assertion that Pennel had expected to be arrested. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026 At trial, defense lawyer Bob Varga refuted the accusation, noting there was no bodycam footage of the incident. — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026 Though then-Bucks coach Doc Rivers refuted that report, Antetokounmpo acknowledged that the offseason was a time when temptation could be very real for him. — Eric Nehm, New York Times, 23 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 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 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 Such claims have been systematically refuted by evidence submitted to Norfolk Superior Court. — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 4 June 2026 California officials, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber, have repeatedly refuted claims of fraud and, in fact, have defended the state’s slower process as critical to ensuring the counts are accurate. — Linh Tat, Daily News, 9 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for refuted

Verb

Graf denied a defense request to force Robinson's partner to travel from Texas to testify in person.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Historically, the Catholic Church had denied religious funerals inside its houses of worship as well as traditional burials for those who died in this way.

— Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of denied

Verb

Green said earlier this year that Adebayo shouldn’t be underestimated and his 83-point game against Washington shouldn’t be discredited.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026
Instead, they are encouraged to view blue zones primarily through the lens of a sloppy critique that has already been discredited.

— Torie Bosch, STAT, 20 June 2026

Definition of discredited

Verb

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors rejected those findings.

— Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 2 July 2026
In May, the EEOC filed a discrimination lawsuit against the New York Times alleging discrimination against a white male employee, which the Times has rejected as politically motivated.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of rejected

Verb

At least 16 people have been killed and 20 others injured when a bus transporting passengers to South Africa's Eastern Cape province overturned in the early hours of Thursday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
One notable example came in 2024, when Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes’ red card was overturned by the Football Association of England.

— Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

Definition of overturned

Verb

These emergency decisions have thrown lower courts’ processes into turmoil and have sometimes directly contradicted longstanding legal precedent.

— Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 1 July 2026
Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the National Assembly, announced Monday that the official toll stood at 1,719 people killed and 5,000 injured, and warned the public against sharing information that contradicted authorities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026

Definition of contradicted

Verb

News to know now The Supreme Court said Texas can enforce age verification and parental consent requirements for most apps while those rules are being challenged as a free-speech violation.

— Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Belgium challenged the decision on Monday morning, but FIFA overturned it, clearing the way for Balogun to return.

— Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026

Definition of challenged

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“Refuted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refuted. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of refuted

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