prebuttal

[ pri-buht-l, pree- ]

noun

1. an argument constructed in anticipation of a criticism:

   The alderman began his speech with a question-answer style prebuttal.

prebuttal

/ priːˈbʌtəl /

noun

1. informal.
   a prepared response to an anticipated criticism

Word History and Origins

Origin of prebuttal¹

First recorded in 1980–85; pre- + (re)buttal

Word History and Origins

Origin of prebuttal¹

C20: pre- + ( re ) buttal

Example Sentences

In a prebuttal video posted across his social media, Brand said he was about to face “very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” without detailing them.

From New York Times

The best part of Alito’s prebuttal, though, was how he justified taking “what would have otherwise been an unoccupied seat on a private flight to Alaska.”

From Slate

Justice Alito wrote in an op-ed this week in The Wall Street Journal that served as a prebuttal to a pending ProPublica article accusing him of ethics violations and highlighting his ties to billionaire Paul Singer.

From Washington Times

The details are infuriating, but not surprising because Alito tried to get ahead of the story by writing a "prebuttal" for the Wall Street Journal's editorial page, which ended up reading as a confession to deep and long-standing corruption.

From Salon

There’s no need for me to gild the lily in terms of debunking the Justice’s textualist reading of the relevant disclosure provisions, as others have ably rebutted Alito’s prebuttal since it surfaced.

From Slate