Confute
[kən-FYOOT]
Part of speech: verb
Origin: Latin, 16th century
1.
Prove (a person or an assertion) to be wrong.
Examples of Confute in a sentence
"The student confuted the professor with a logical proof."
"After some research, I was able to confute the belief that fruit trees couldn’t grow in this climate."
About Confute
“Confute” is derived from the Latin “confutare,” meaning “to answer conclusively.” It builds upon “refutare,” the basis of similar word “refute,” adding the prefix “con-,” meaning “altogether.”
Did you Know?
“Confute” is similar to “refute” and shares an etymological root. The difference between the two words is that “confute” has traditionally been a verb applied to proving a person or people wrong, while “refute” is applied only to proving ideas wrong. Consequently, one may refute a claim, or confute the person who made the claim.
