Refute vs Confirm - What's the difference?
refute | confirm |
To prove (something) to be false or incorrect.
*
To deny the truth or correctness of (something).
*
To strengthen; to make firm or resolute.
(Christianity) To administer the sacrament of confirmation on (someone).
* 1971 , , Religion and the Decline of Magic , Folio Society 2012, p. 35:
To assure the accuracy of previous statements.
As verbs the difference between refute and confirm
is that refute is to prove (something) to be false or incorrect while confirm is to strengthen; to make firm or resolute.refute
English
Verb
(refut)Usage notes
The second meaning of (refute) (to deny the truth of) is proscribed as erroneous by some(compare Merriam Webster,1994). An alternative term with such a meaning is (repudiate), which means to reject or refuse to acknowledge, but without the implication of justification. However, this distinction does not exist in the original Latin , which can apply to both senses.
Synonyms
* : debunk, disprove, rebut * (deny the truth or correctness): deny, gainsay, rebut, reject, repudiateAntonyms
* : demonstrate, prove * (deny the truth or correctness): accept, embraceconfirm
English
Alternative forms
* confirme (obsolete)Verb
(en verb)- Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII, was baptized and confirmed at the age of three days.