Now that refudiate is on its way to the dictionary, what should the newly coined word mean?
Asked by
ETpro (
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September 8th, 2010
Ever since Sarah Palin flubbed it into existence, “refudiate” is the most searched word on Google.com and Dictionary.com. So since it seems to be with us for better or worse, what should it mean. Some think it was an attempt at repudiate. Others think refute. Why not a portmanteau of both, to refute by repudiating. Of course, refuting something by simply repudiating it is an already well known and well worn logical fallacy, argument by assertion.
Person A says, “X is not true.”
Person B says, “X is true.”
Person A refudiates [sic] Person B’s argument by declaring, “NO, X is not true because I say it’s not true (because I refudiate your claim).”
But hey, that’s just how politicians constantly “refudiate” logic, so why not have a single word for it? What do you think. Should it be added to the dictionary due to its popularity? If so, what should it mean?
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7 Answers
The core word appears to be refuse or refute. you can take it from there.
If the OED adds “refudiate”, I will boycott. So will every logophile on the planet.
refudiate: to cover up past admissions and evidence of a “certain President’s” religious beliefs. ;)
refudiate: to deny that anything Sarah Palin says is worth listening to or talking about.
Think the criteria for a new word in the dictionary is a little more than Sarah Palin sez . . . . . .
Try this link ——— >Webster sez is something else.
Refudiate is an obvious and quite determined attempt to demonstrate you are as smart as you think you are!
@Seek_Kolinahr Oh don’t be so snuffy (obviously a snob who is stuffy. :-)
@Tropical_Willie Actually, that link shows how several portmanteaus did make it into common English usage and yes, even into the venerable OED. But of course each of those had a distinct definition when invented. Even Shakespeare’s coined words were easily understood from context. Not so with Palin’s attempt. So I look for this one to slide slowly into obscurity, and I will not shed a tear when it does.
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