elenctic

E1L1E1N1C3T1I1C3
UK/ɨˈlɛŋktɪk/US/əˈlɛŋk.tɪk/

adjective

Serving to refute, refutative, especially as part of a systematic interrogation; pertaining to rhetorical elenchus or cross-examination.

OriginAncient Greek ἐλενκτικός →
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Meanings

adjectiveelenctic (comparative more elenctic, superlative most elenctic)

comparative more elenctic · superlative most elenctic · alternative elenchtic · alternative elenchtical · alternative elenctical

  1. Serving to refute, refutative, especially as part of a systematic interrogation; pertaining to rhetorical elenchus or cross-examination.

    ‘What lady?’ he asked in the elenctic tones of Lewis Carroll's caterpillar.

    1941, Vladimir Nabokov, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Penguin 1971 edition, page 101

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἐλενκτικός“refutative”
  2. Englishelenctic

From Ancient Greek ἐλενκτικός (elenktikós, “refutative”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

elenctic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elenctic

MLA

“elenctic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elenctic. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “elenctic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elenctic.

Source: elenctic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.