verb

prove (a person or an assertion or accusation) to be wrong.

restorers who sought to confute this view were accused of ignorance

disprove,show/prove to be false,contradict,negate,deny,refute,rebut,gainsay,belie,give the lie to,invalidate,explode,discredit,expose,debunk,quash,knock the bottom out of,shoot full of holes,shoot down (in flames),controvert,negative