Standard Lemma guide

confute

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /kənˈfjuːt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To show (something or someone) to be false or wrong; to disprove or refute.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

prove to be false

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The physicist disproved his colleagues' theories

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disprove

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: negate, contradict

Narrower terms: explode, refute, rebut, controvert, falsify

History

Etymology

From Middle French confuter, from Latin confūtō.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: опровергавам (oprovergavam) — to disprove, refute
  • Bulgarian: оборвам (oborvam) — to disprove, refute
  • Italian: confutare — to disprove, refute
  • Russian: опроверга́ть (oprovergátʹ) — to disprove, refute
  • Turkish: çürütmek — to disprove, refute
  • Turkish: yalanlamak — to disprove, refute