disconfirm
Show to be false
Disconfirm means to prove something false or show that it doesn't hold up.
The word appears mainly in scientific and philosophical contexts, where hypotheses must be testable—capable of being disconfirmed by evidence: The experiment disconfirmed our initial theory.
It's the opposite of confirm, though less common in everyday speech.
Distort the truth
- disproveProve something untrue
- debunkExpose as false
- contradictDispute a statement
- refuteProve something untrue
negate · invalidate · rebut · counterevidence · counterexample · nullify · controvert · discredit
Testable proposed explanation
- empiricalBased on observation, not theory
- falsifiabilitySusceptibility to disproof
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
data · methodology · anomaly · Popper · variables · correlation · causation · double-blind
State of being unsure
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
- distrustAbsence of confidence
misgivings · incredulity · reservation · wariness · qualm · hesitation · ambivalence · scrutiny
Belief about future outcomes
- beliefTrust held as true
- predictionForecast of coming events
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
- dissonanceLack of harmony
surprise · updating · revision · prior · schema · cognitive · adjustment · reappraisal
falsify
Distort the truth
- disproveProve something untrue
- debunkExpose as false
- contradictDispute a statement
refute · negate · invalidate · rebut · counterevidence · counterexample · nullify · controvert · discredit · undermine
hypothesis
Testable proposed explanation
- empiricalBased on observation, not theory
- falsifiabilitySusceptibility to disproof
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
experiment · data · methodology · anomaly · Popper · variables · correlation · causation · double-blind · reproducibility
uncertainty
State of being unsure
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
distrust · misgivings · incredulity · reservation · wariness · qualm · hesitation · ambivalence · scrutiny · disbelief
expectation
Belief about future outcomes
- beliefTrust held as true
- predictionForecast of coming events
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
dissonance · surprise · updating · revision · prior · schema · cognitive · adjustment · reappraisal · disappointment
disconfirmconfirm
Validate as true
verify · validate · corroborate · substantiate · prove