Disproved

Disproved refers to a claim, theory, or proposition that has been demonstrated to be false, incorrect, or invalid. The term functions as both an adjective and the past participle of the verb disprove. Disproof arises from evidence, analysis, or experimentation that contradicts the claim or its predictions, or from logical contradiction with established facts. In scientific practice, a hypothesis is considered disproved when robust contrary evidence accumulates or a theory makes falsified predictions that cannot be reconciled with observations. However, in science, disproof is provisional; new data, methods, or interpretations can alter conclusions, and some theories persist as useful approximations until a more comprehensive framework replaces them. Disproof does not automatically prove the opposite claim; it shows that the original proposition cannot be maintained under the tested assumptions.

Historically, several widely held beliefs were disproved: the geocentric model of the solar system with Copernican and later observational support; phlogiston theory of combustion replaced by oxidation; spontaneous generation debunked by Redi and Pasteur. In logic, a universal claim is disproved by a counterexample, and a conditional claim can be disproved by a case where antecedent holds but consequent fails. The term remains common in scholarly discourse to indicate that an asserted proposition has failed to withstand critical scrutiny.