Refuted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Shown by argument or evidence to be wrong or false
2. Demonstrated through reasoning or proof to be untrue or invalid
3. Disproved a claim or idea by providing conflicting evidence or logic

Etymology: "Refuted" is the past tense and past participle of "refute," so the story belongs to the verb itself. "Refute" comes from Latin "refūtāre," which meant to repudiate or push back against something, and it passed into English with the sense of disproving a claim rather than merely rejecting it. The Latin root behind it, "futāre," meant to beat or thrust, so the image underneath is of striking something back. A refuted claim is one that has been knocked down by evidence or argument, which is a fairly literal survival of that physical sense.

Synonyms: disproved, debunked, contradicted, disputed, challenged

Antonyms: confirmed, validated, supported