What is the Difference Between "Refute" and "Repudiate"?
Posted by Issa and Published on Oct 29, 2012
ESL speakers and writers often confuse the verbs refute and repudiate because both words imply nonacceptance. Look at below sentences:
- Incorrect: A skilled defense lawyer has many techniques that can repudiate the evidence against you.
- Correct: A skilled defense lawyer has many techniques that can refute the evidence against you.
Avoid the trap of muddling up refute and repudiate. Note that refute means to disprove a statement by argument or proof while repudiate means to dispute a statement without using argument or evidence.
Refute (rebut)
- He refuted the charges of using the company's money to fund his business.
- Use evidence to confirm or refute witness statements.
- It does not offer direct proof to refute the allegations in the complaint.
Repudiate (deny, reject)
- He repudiated the charges that he had tried to deceive them.
- Alexa repudiated her charges against him and stated that she had made the charges falsely in a fit of anger.
- In this town, a husband could repudiate his wife however blameless she might have been.