A Word A Day : Fallacious



Monday, 24th March 2008 : Today's Word is ...

Fallacious




( Adjective )



Pronunciation : fe-láy-sh-ess


Definition:



1. containing or involving a mistaken belief or idea

2. tending to mislead

3. containing or based on a fallacy

4. based on an incorrect or misleading notion or information


Etymology:


Alteration of Middle English fallace - from Old French - from Latin fallācia - deceit - from fallāx - fallāc- deceitful - from fallere - to deceive


Synonyms:


beguiling, bum, deceiving, deceptive, deluding, delusive, delusory, erroneous, fake, false, fictitious, fishy, fraudulent, illogical, illusory, incorrect, invalid, irrational, jivey, mad, misleading, mistaken, off, phony, reasonless, sophistic, sophistical, spurious, unfounded, ungrounded, unreal, unreasonable, unreasoned, unsound, untrue, way off, wrong

Fallacious means intended to deceive.

Fallible means liable to make a mistake or to be inaccurate or erroneous.

False means not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality or deliberately deceptive or not genuine or real.

Deceitful means intended to deceive or cheat.

Deceptive means causing one to believe what is not true or likely to mislead someone.

Elusive is used when what is being avoided is physical capture or apprehension.

Evasive is used when what is being avoided is direct or relevant response to a verbal challenge.


Antonyms:


correct, substantiated, true, valid, veritable


Contextual Examples:


• The great enemies of intellectual life are superstition, gullibility and fallacious reasoning.

• But the mind of man not only refuses to believe this explanation, but plainly says that this method of explanation is fallacious, because in it a weaker phenomenon is taken as the cause of a stronger.

• Your argument is based on a fallacious assumption.


Related Words:


fallacy : Noun

fallaciously : Adverb

fallaciousness : Noun


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