a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc.: That the world is flat was at one time a popular fallacy.
a misleading or unsound argument.
deceptive, misleading, or false nature; erroneousness.
Logic. any of various types of erroneous reasoning that render arguments logically unsound.
Obsolete. deception.
Origin of fallacy
1350–1400; <Latin fallācia a trick, deceit, equivalent to fallāc- (stem of fallāx) deceitful, fallacious + -ia-y3; replacing Middle English fallace<Middle French
SYNONYMS FOR fallacy
1 misconception, delusion, misapprehension.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR fallacy ON THESAURUS.COM
Words nearby fallacy
Falkner, fall, fal la, fall about, fallacious, fallacy, fallacy of composition, fallacy of division, fallacy of many questions, fallal, fall all over oneself
As much as marketers would like to control the narrative around their brands doing so is a fallacy.
‘Stop asking for a ‘viral’ anything’: Why Ocean Spray’s successful meme can’t be replicated|Kristina Monllos|October 12, 2020|Digiday
A fallacy because — well, countries differ from each other on many dimensions, not just three or four.
Does Anyone Really Know What Socialism Is? (Ep. 408 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|September 17, 2020|Freakonomics
The night wanderer’s sense of belonging, of deep investment, is not a fallacy, but stands at the center of a realistic experience of what is actually meant by aliveness.
What the Meadow Teaches Us - Issue 90: Something Green|Andreas Weber|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
The big fallacy is that it assumes that everyone in the economy is dealing from the same deck of cards.
Why the Fed’s huge policy shift on inflation could be rocket fuel for stocks|Bernhard Warner|August 28, 2020|Fortune
In fact, what this map really showed was the fallacy of aggregates – and how statistics can mask real cultural shifts.
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries|Clive Irving|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every time the thermometer drops, another anti-science politician mocks climate change as a fallacy.
From Snowy Atlanta to Sunny Sochi, It's All About Global Weirding|Scott Bixby|February 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To prove the fallacy of said cargo cult, Olson goes into the numbers.
A false or mistaken idea based on faulty knowledge or reasoning. For example, kings who have divorced their wives for failing to produce a son have held to the fallacy that a mother determines the sex of a child, when actually the father does. (See sex chromosomes.)