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The word I'm looking for would suggest that the thing in question was shown to be true even to the point of excess, and its veracity tested on multiple occasions or very publicly, so that there can be no residual doubt.

e.g.

'it was proven with great _______ that her methods were ineffective'

I've tried looking up synonyms for 'thoroughly' and 'excessively' which didn't turn it up. The word is right on the tip of my tongue and it's been bugging me for ages.

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  • 4
    "rigor" -------
    – Greg Lee
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 17:56
  • The way the sentence is set up, I can only think of "gusto."
    – Showsni
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 18:46
  • Consider accuracy and precision. Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 18:53
  • 1
    This could literally be anything. I think you need to narrow it down.
    – Robusto
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 23:30
  • 1
    "Thoroughly" is an adverb. "Thoroughness" is the corresponding adjective.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 23:38

10 Answers 10

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Not exactly what you've asked for, but you could try either "it was demonstrated conclusively that her methods were ineffective" or "it was shown conclusively that her methods were ineffective".

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  • Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm looking for a particular word.
    – soupdragon
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 17:45
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    @gladpalpitations — Why do you wish to force yourself self into a structure that is clearly not the best way to communicate your idea?
    – David
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 18:24
  • @David The word has a very particular meaning that I'm not sure I can convey as succinctly with any other word.
    – soupdragon
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 19:16
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    @gladpalpitations - Can you describe what that particular meaning is?
    – Jim
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 23:02
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I would suggest "with great finality."

1 a : the character or condition of being final, settled, irrevocable, or complete

b : the condition of being at an ultimate point especially of development or authority

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Can you switch your word order?

It was thoroughly proven that her methods were ineffective.

It was exhaustively proven that her methods were ineffective.

It was rigorously proven that...

It was unequivocally proven that...

Or keeping your current word order, perhaps:

It was proven with great rigor that...
It was proven unequivocally that...

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Having a look at the COCA - I have a suspicion the word you are looking for is Certainty.

While there are not many entries, certainty is the only recurring phrasing linked to proven with and to me is a fairly common construct expressing what you describe.

proven with statistical certainty are uncommon

proven with absolute certainty

In your sample,

It was proven with great certainty that her methods were inneffective

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  • And what value of p do you regard as statistical certainty? (But apologies for not noticing your answer. My certitude is just a posh-sounding variant.)
    – David
    Commented Jul 11, 2019 at 19:59
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Credibility

Collins Dictionary:

If someone or something has credibility, people believe in them and trust them.

(Emphasis mine)

Lexico powered by Oxford:

The quality of being convincing or believable.


In this case, you could say:

It was proven with great credibility that her methods were ineffective

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  • That covers the 'absence of doubt' bit, and perhaps the repetition to an extent, but it's not quite all there.
    – soupdragon
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 19:20
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It was proven with great scrupulousness that her methods were ineffective

From Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries), the example sentence seems to confirm the appropriateness of this word.

Scrupulous
1. (of a person or process) careful, thorough, and extremely attentive to details.
  ‘the research has been carried out with scrupulous attention to detail’
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense ‘troubled with doubts’):
from French scrupuleux or Latin scrupulosus, from scrupulus

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consistency (from Wiktionary, 2019):

Reliability or uniformity; the quality of being consistent.

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  • It fits the sentence, but its not the word I'm looking for. Can't really be used in the sense of demonstrating publicly that something is true, or to excess.
    – soupdragon
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 18:09
  • @gladpalpitations Proven with great consistency would mean it is replicable right? You're right about not being proven in excess though. How about with overwhelming support?
    – Boondoggle
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 18:18
  • it kind of works but I'm looking for a single word here.
    – soupdragon
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 19:20
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If it was proven repeatedly, perhaps resonance.

'It was proven with great resonance that her methods were ineffective.'

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If you enter "proven with great *" into Google Scholar, you will see "proven with great" collocates with success/certainty/detail.

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If you must tie yourself in a straightjacket, how about certitude?

It was proven with great certitude

Definition from Google’s unattributed steal:

certitude

noun 1. absolute certainty or conviction that something is the case.

"the question may never be answered with certitude"

That example clinched it, I think, but the whole thing is a bit of an oxymoron — it is proven or not, just as one is pregnant or not.

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