German word

widerlegen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˌviːdɐˈleːgn̩/

Meaning

  • verbrefute

Example

Er widerlegte die falsche Behauptung.

He refuted the false claim.

Illustration for widerlegen (refute)

More examples

Neue Daten widerlegen die bisherige These.

New data refute the previous hypothesis.

Core concept

A disputed statement is placed under decisive counterevidence until it can no longer stand.

Common phrases

  • eine These widerlegen

    refute a hypothesis

  • den Verdacht widerlegen

    dispel suspicion

  • eine Studie widerlegen

    disprove a study

Similar words

widersprechen: State opposition to what someone has said.
bestreiten: Reject a claim or alleged fact without necessarily disproving it.
entkräften: Undermine the strength of an argument through counterevidence or reasoning.

Definition in German

eine Behauptung durch Gegenbeweise oder logische Argumente als falsch nachweisen.

Word origin

The older German compound widerlegen joins wider, meaning 'against', and legen, meaning 'lay', to describe placing an opposing case against a statement.

Usage tips

  • The past participle is widerlegt, not gewiderlegt, because widerlegen has an inseparable prefix.

Opposites

Related words

  • Widerlegungrefutationnoun

Word lists with this word