Word Confusion: Rebut versus Refute

Posted November 30, 2021 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

I was having a text message exchange with one of my sisters on the topic of Trump versus Biden, and all I can say is rebut versus refute.

What do I mean by that? Well, rebut, a verb, tries to prove something isn’t true.

Refute, another verb, proves that something is false.

Refute has also come to mean deny, but traditionalists object to this newer use as an unacceptable degradation of the language, although it is widely used. It’s up to you to decide how you want to use it, although a formal or business paper should probably avoid this interpretation.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.

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Rebut	Refute
Begging Bear by David Cardinez is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. — Hope they can rebut that bear!	Islam versus Christian by Geralt is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. — Each refutes the other’s religious beliefs.
Part of Grammar:
Verb ¹, ² intransitive & transitive Third person present verb: rebuts Past tense or past participle: rebutted Gerund or present participle: rebutting	Verb, transitive Third person present verb: refutes Past tense or past participle: refuted Gerund or present participle: refuting
Verb, intransitive: To provide some evidence or argument that opposes Verb, transitive: [Archaic] Drive back or repel (a person or attack) ¹ Claim or prove that (evidence or an accusation) is false ²	Prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong or false Disprove Prove that (someone) is wrong Deny or contradict (a statement or accusation)
Examples:
Verb, intransitive: Bad science should be rebutted. “Good. Being a little bit thirsty will remind us why we need to ration,” he rebuts, his anger beginning to fill to the brim. But there is another thing to rebut. “Who him rencountring fierce, as haulke in flight, Perforce rebutted backe.” – Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene Verb, transitive: But he . . . their sharp assault right boldly did rebut. He had to rebut charges of acting for the convenience of his political friends. A lot of time is spent on rebutting accusations and counter-accusations at the expense of development.	These claims have not been convincingly refuted. His voice was challenging his audience to rise and refute him. A spokesman totally refuted the allegation of bias.
Derivatives:
Adjective: rebuttable, unrebuttabler, unrebutted Noun: rebuttal Verb: rebuttable	Adjective: refutable, self-refuted, self-refuting Adverb: refutably Noun: refutability, refuter
History of the Word:
Middle English, in the senses rebuke and repulse, is from the Anglo-Norman French rebuter, from the Old French re- (expressing opposition) + boter (to butt). Originally a legal use, it dates from the early 19th century.	First recorded in 1505–15, from the Latin refūtāre meaning to check, suppress, refute, repel, rebut, the equivalent to re- (re-) + -fūtāre (presumably, to beat).

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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