specious
/ˈspiːʃəs
/adjective
1Superficially plausible, but actually wrong: a specious argument...
- This is a specious argument that he has been making.
- These arguments are specious, but they are based on rosy assumptions or bad analogies.
- We should take care to use arguments that aren't specious.
1.1Misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive: the music trade gives Golden Oldies a specious appearance of novelty
Synonyms
plausible but wrong, seemingly correct, misleading, deceptive, false, fallacious, unsound, casuistic, sophistic
Derivatives
speciosity
speciously
- The government speciously said it withheld to protect the privacy of the advice given by the.
- He offers a speciously complicated analysis.
- The play speciously associates giving all with ultimate return.
speciousness
- The novel thus exposes the speciousness of social discourses that worked to maintain the theory.
- The speciousness of this argument is apparent.
- A visit to the region reveals the speciousness of its account.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'beautiful'): from Latin speciosus 'fair', from species (see species).