Refutable

Refutable is an adjective describing a claim, hypothesis, or theory that can be shown to be false through evidence or argument. A proposition is refutable if there exists a possible observation or counterexample that would contradict it.

In philosophy of science, refutability (often equated with falsifiability) is a criterion used to distinguish scientific theories from non-scientific or metaphysical claims. Karl Popper argued that a theory earns scientific status only if it makes predictions that could, in principle, be falsified by observation or experiment.

Refutability is not the same as being easily disproven; it depends on the existence of potential evidence that, if observed, would disconfirm the claim. Some statements are difficult to refute because they are vague or unfalsifiable in practice, while others are constructed as testable hypotheses with clear predictions.

Examples help illustrate the idea. The claim “All swans are white” is refutable by the discovery of a single black swan. A prediction such as “If this sample is heated to 100 degrees Celsius, the liquid will boil within two minutes” is refutable through measurement. By contrast, some metaphysical or supernatural assertions are typically viewed as not testable by empirical methods, and thus not readily refutable within scientific inquiry.

Etymology-wise, refutable derives from Latin refutābilis “able to be refuted,” from refutāre “to drive back, repulse, refute.” The concept remains central to how evidence, testing, and theory appraisal are framed in scientific and logical contexts.