Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb refute
2 senses of refute
Sense 1
refute, rebut -- (overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof; "The speaker refuted his opponent's arguments")
=> disown, renounce, repudiate -- (cast off; "She renounced her husband"; "The parents repudiated their son")
Sense 2
refute, rebut, controvert -- (prove to be false or incorrect)
=> disprove, confute -- (prove to be false; "The physicist disproved his colleagues' theories")