confute
to prove to be false, invalid, or defective; disprove: to confute an argument.
to prove (a person) to be wrong by argument or proof: to confute one's opponent.
Obsolete. to bring to naught; confound.
Origin of confute
1Other words from confute
- con·fut·a·ble, adjective
- con·fut·er, noun
- un·con·fut·a·ble, adjective
- un·con·fut·ed, adjective
- un·con·fut·ing, adjective
Words Nearby confute
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use confute in a sentence
He recites several passages from the Fathers on this subject, by which he pretends to confute the first reformers.
The Life of the Truly Eminent and Learned Hugo Grotius | Jean Lvesque de BurignyHe enumerated the objections which had been made, and the industry with which he had endeavoured to confute them.
Wieland; or The Transformation | Charles Brockden BrownI had not relied upon time, or the suggestion of his cooler thoughts, to confute his charges.
Wieland; or The Transformation | Charles Brockden BrownHaving enunciated this definition, as one learnt from another person not named, Sokrates proceeds to examine and confute it.
To confute intuitionists and get rid of intuitions was one main purpose of all Mill's speculations.
The English Utilitarians, Volume I. | Leslie Stephen
British Dictionary definitions for confute
/ (kənˈfjuːt) /
to prove (a person or thing) wrong, invalid, or mistaken; disprove
obsolete to put an end to
Origin of confute
1Derived forms of confute
- confutable, adjective
- confutation (ˌkɒnfjʊˈteɪʃən), noun
- confutative, adjective
- confuter, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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