irrefragable
Syllables: ir·re·frag·a·ble/ɪˈɹɛfɹəɡəb(ə)l/
irrefragable adjective: which cannot be refuted; clearly right, incontrovertible, indisputable, irrefutable.
Adjective
irrefragable (comparative more irrefragable, superlative most irrefragable)
- Which cannot be refuted; clearly right, incontrovertible, indisputable, irrefutable.
- Beſide, what methodicall artiſt would allow the encomium of the foxe in the prayſe of the aſſe, unleſſe I would proove by irrefragable demonſtration, that the falſe fox was a true aſſe: as I once heard a learned phyſician affirme, if a gooſe were a fox, he was a fox.1593, Gabriell Haruey [i.e., Gabriel Harvey], Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. A Preparative to Certaine Larger Discourses, Intituled Nashes S. Fame, London: […] Iohn Wolfe...
- He knew what's what, and that's as high / As Metaphysick Wit can fly, / In School Divinity as able / As he that hight Irrefragable; […]1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]. Canto I.”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678...
- Synonyms:
- incontestable, indubitable, unanswerable, undeniable, unquestionable, inarguable, incontrovertible, indeniable, indisputable, irrebuttable
- Antonyms:
- contestable, controvertible, deniable, disputable, dubitable, questionable, refragable, refutable
- Which cannot or should not be broken; indestructible.
- But this loue of ours is immoderate, inordinate, and not to be comprehended in any bounds. It will not containe it ſelfe within the vnion of marriage, or apply it ſelfe to one obiect, but it is a wandring extravagant, a domineering, a boundleſſe, an irrefragable paſſion: […]1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “How Loue Tyrannizeth ouer Men. Loue or Heroicall Melancholy, His Definition, Part Affected.”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition...
- […] Intire Affection (from whence Integrity has its name) as it is anſwerable to it-ſelf, proportionable, and rational; ſo it is irrefragable, ſolid, and durable.1699, A.A.C.A.N.A.Æ.C.M.D.C.L.X.X.J. [pseudonym; Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury], “Treatise IV. Viz. an Inquiry Concerning Virtue, or Merit. […]”, in Characteristics, &c. [i.e....
- Synonyms:
- inviolable, irresistible
- Of a person: obstinate, stubborn.
- Many young men are as obſtinate, and as curious in their choice, as tyrannically proud, inſulting, deceitfull, falſe hearing, as irrefragable & peeuiſh, Narciſſus like, […]1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “The Last and Best Cure of Loue Melancholy, is, to Let Them Haue Their Desire”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford...
- Synonyms:
- adamant, ardent, grim, untiring, bent on, bloody-minded, bullheaded, certain, chronic, confirmed
irrefragable meaning in Tamil
irrefragable in Tamil
- மறுக்க முடியாத, பிரதிவாதமற்ற, உறுதியான
Examples of irrefragable in a sentence
- In this Kings reign flouriſhed in England, the Irrefragable Doctor Alexander de Hales, who was School-Maſter to the Angelic Dr.1679, [William Howell], “Henry III”, in Medulla Historiæ Anglicanæ. Being a Comprehensive History of the Lives and Reigns of the Monarchs...
- But this irrefragable Authority is that of the Pſalter of Caſhel; […]1685, Ed[ward] Stillingfleet, “Of the Declension of the British Churches”, in Origines Britannicæ, or, The Antiquities of the British...
- White, 174 F. 3d 1378 (1999)] the Federal Circuit held that a whistleblower had to present irrefragable proof that wrongdoing actually occurred in order to prove a claim.2012 February 29, “Nomination of Richard Gary Taranto, Nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit; […]”, in Confirmation...
Synonyms of irrefragable
- incontestable
- indubitable
- unanswerable
- undeniable
- unquestionable
- inarguable
- incontrovertible
- indeniable
- indisputable
- irrebuttable
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
- irrecusable
- nondeniable
- unassailable
- unattackable
- unchallengeable
- uncontrovertible
- undebatable
- undiscutable
- undisputable
- undoubtable
- unimpeachable
- unrebuttable
- unrecusable
- unshakable
- inviolable
- irresistible
- adamant
- ardent
- grim
- untiring
- bent on
- bloody-minded
- bullheaded
- certain
- chronic
- confirmed
- determined
- diehard
- dogged
- hard-hearted
Antonyms
Forms of irrefragable
| comparative | more irrefragable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most irrefragable |
| alternative form | irrefragible |
Origin of irrefragable
Learned borrowing from Late Latin irrefrāgābilis (“irrefragable”) + English -able (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘able or fit to be done’). Irrefrāgābilis is derived from Latin ir- (variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘not’)) + refrāgārī + -bilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon); while refrāgārī is the present active infinitive of refrāgor (“to oppose, resist; to gainsay, thwart”) (further etymology uncertain, possibly from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + fragor (“a breaking, shattering; a crash; din, uproar”) (from frangō (“to break, shatter”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”))), formed as an antonym of suffrāgōr, the first-person singular present passive indicative of suffrāgō (“to support; to vote for”).
Words formed from irrefragable
Questions about irrefragable
- What does irrefragable mean?
- Irrefragable means which cannot be refuted; clearly right, incontrovertible, indisputable, irrefutable.
- What is irrefragable in Tamil?
- Irrefragable in Tamil is மறுக்க முடியாத, பிரதிவாதமற்ற, உறுதியான. See Irrefragable meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use irrefragable in a sentence?
- In this Kings reign flouriſhed in England, the Irrefragable Doctor Alexander de Hales, who was School-Maſter to the Angelic Dr.
- What part of speech is irrefragable?
- Irrefragable is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce irrefragable?
- Irrefragable is pronounced /ɪˈɹɛfɹəɡəb(ə)l/ (UK).
Words near irrefragable in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: irrefragable (page history and authors); irrefragable (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-irrefragable.wav.
Cite this entry: “irrefragable.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/irrefragable. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
