fallacious
adjective
fal·la·cious
fə-ˈlā-shəs 
1
: embodying a fallacy
a fallacious conclusion
a fallacious argument
2
: tending to deceive or mislead : delusive
false and fallacious hopes—
Conyers Middleton
Conyers Middleton
fallaciously
adverb
fallaciousness
noun
Did you know?
It will come as no surprise that fallacious is related to the noun fallacy, meaning “delusion” or “falsehood.” Both words come from the Latin word fallacia, which in turn comes from fallere, meaning “to deceive.” (Other descendants of fallere in English include fail, false, and fault.) Fallacious arguments are a hot topic among philosophers, and some classic examples include the “ad hominem” fallacy, the “slippery slope” fallacy, and the “red herring” fallacy.
Synonyms
Examples of fallacious in a Sentence
it's fallacious to say that something must exist because science hasn't proven its nonexistence
consumers who harbor the fallacious belief that credit-card spending will never catch up with them
Recent Examples on the Web
But hard evidence in both our nation’s history and our present shows that this reasoning is fallacious.
—Ana Raquel Minian, TIME, 30 May 2024
And why not seek the truth, to give order and organization to a chaotic and fallacious narrative and investigative material?
—Boris Sollazzo, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024
This is such a fallacious argument and its presentation as acceptable is abhorrent to our standards of morality.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024
Catherine Weller, director of global policy for Fauna & Flora International, tells Popular Mechanics that Barron’s argument is fallacious.
—Susan Lahey, Popular Mechanics, 24 July 2023
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Ana Raquel Minian, TIME, 30 May 2024
And why not seek the truth, to give order and organization to a chaotic and fallacious narrative and investigative material?
—Boris Sollazzo, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024
This is such a fallacious argument and its presentation as acceptable is abhorrent to our standards of morality.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024
Catherine Weller, director of global policy for Fauna & Flora International, tells Popular Mechanics that Barron’s argument is fallacious.
—Susan Lahey, Popular Mechanics, 24 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for fallacious
Dictionary Entries Near fallacious
Cite this Entry
“Fallacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallacious. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fallacious
adjective
fal·la·cious
fə-ˈlā-shəs
1
: containing a fallacy
a fallacious argument
2
: leading in a wrong direction or into a mistaken action or belief
fallaciously
adverb
fallaciousness
noun
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