A fallacy is an idea which many people believe to be true, but which is in fact false because it is based on incorrect information or reasoning.
It's a fallacy that the affluent give relatively more to charity than the less prosperous.
It exposes the fallacy of short-term industrial gain at long-term environmental expense.
[Also + of]
Synonyms: error, mistake, illusion, flaw More Synonyms of fallacy
fallacy in British English
(ˈfæləsɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-cies
1.
an incorrect or misleading notion or opinion based on inaccurate facts or invalid reasoning
2.
unsound or invalid reasoning
3.
the tendency to mislead
4. logic
an error in reasoning that renders an argument logically invalid
Word origin
C15: from Latin fallācia, from fallax deceitful, from fallere to deceive
fallacy in American English
(ˈfæləsi)
nounWord forms: pluralˈfallacies
1. Obsolete
deception
2.
aptness to mislead; deceptive or delusive quality
the fallacy of the senses
3.
a false or mistaken idea, opinion, etc.; error
4.
a.
an error in reasoning; flaw or defect in argument
b. Logic
an argument which does not conform to the rules of logic, esp. one that appears to be sound
Word origin
ME fallace < OFr < L fallacia, deception, artifice < fallax (gen. fallacis), deceitful < fallere, to deceive: see fail
Examples of 'fallacy' in a sentence
fallacy
It's a fallacy to assume that burglars can't climb a wall without a ladder.
Gash, Jonathan THE TARTAN RINGERS (1998)
"Have you ever heard of the logical fallacy of post hoc, ergo propter hoc?
James W. Huston BALANCE OF POWER (1998)
In other languages
fallacy
British English: fallacy NOUN
A fallacy is an idea which many people believe to be true, but which is in fact false because it is based on incorrect information.
It's a fallacy that the rich give relatively more to charity than the less prosperous.
American English: fallacy
Brazilian Portuguese: falácia
Chinese: 谬见
European Spanish: error
French: illusion
German: Irrtum
Italian: convinzione errata
Japanese: 間違った考え
Korean: 잘못된 생각
European Portuguese: falácia
Latin American Spanish: falacia
All related terms of 'fallacy'
gamblers' fallacy
the fallacy that in a series of chance events the probability of one event occurring increases with the number of times another event has occurred in succession
pathetic fallacy
(in literature ) the presentation of inanimate objects in nature as possessing human feelings
base rate fallacy
the tendency , when making judgments of the probability with which an event will occur , to ignore the base rate and to concentrate on other information
naturalistic fallacy
the supposed fallacy of inferring evaluative conclusions from purely factual premises
fallacy of many questions
the rhetorical trick of asking a question that cannot be answered without admitting a presupposition that may be false, as have you stopped beating your wife?
Chinese translation of 'fallacy'
fallacy
(ˈfæləsɪ)
n(c/u)
(= misconception) 谬(謬)论(論) (miùlùn) (种(種), zhǒng)
(noun)
Definition
an incorrect or misleading notion based on inaccurate facts or faulty reasoning
This is the biggest fallacy of all.
Synonyms
error
NASA discovered a mathematical error in its calculations.
mistake
He says there must have been some mistake.
illusion
No one really has any illusions about winning the war.
flaw
Almost all these studies have serious flaws.
deception
delusion
I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.
inconsistency
misconception
There are many fears and misconceptions about cancer.
deceit
falsehood
She called the verdict a victory of truth over falsehood.
untruth
The Authority accused estate agents of using blatant untruths.
misapprehension
We were under no misapprehension about the scale of the problem.
sophistry
a triumph of sophistry
casuistry
Every system of moral rules, laws, and principles gives rise to casuistry.
sophism
faultiness
Additional synonyms
in the sense of casuistry
Definition
reasoning that is misleading or oversubtle
Every system of moral rules, laws, and principles gives rise to casuistry.
Synonyms
sophistry,
chicanery,
equivocation,
speciousness,
sophism,
oversubtleness
in the sense of delusion
Definition
a mistaken idea or belief
I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.
Synonyms
misconception,
mistaken idea,
misapprehension,
fancy,
illusion,
deception,
hallucination,
fallacy,
self-deception,
false impression,
phantasm,
misbelief
in the sense of falsehood
Definition
the quality of being untrue
She called the verdict a victory of truth over falsehood.