Specious Meaning
/ˈspiːʃəs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjSeemingly well-reasoned, plausible or true, but actually fallacious.
adjEmploying fallacious but deceptively plausible arguments; deceitful.
Sentence Examples
Tom's arguments are entirely specious.
The politician made a specious argument that misled the voters.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ argument seemed very reasonable but was actually flawed and misleading.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His argument was ____ it sounded plausible at first but was actually based on false information.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English speciose, specious, from Anglo-Norman specious, Middle French specieux, and their etymon Latin speciōsus (“good-looking”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"now to the discourse itself, voluble enough, and full of sentence, but that, for the most part, either specious rather than solid, or to his cause nothing pertinent."
— 1649, J[ohn] Milton, ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC:
"I have frequently amused myself both in public and private companies, with silently remarking, the specious errors of those who speak without reflecting."
— 1776, Thomas Paine, Common Sense:
"“Number two is that for reasons which I regarded at the time as specious and insulting, the Americans objected to your husband's presence on that committee not three weeks after it met, and asked me to replace him with somebody more to their liking. Since Magnus was kingpin of the Czecho operation and of several other little shows in Eastern Europe besides, this was a totally unrealistic demand.""
— 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:
"Feig’s Ghostbusters isn’t out until July 15, but since the project was announced in 2014 as a reboot of the hit 1984 film[…] a vocal minority of movie fans have come up with specious reasons to criticize it."
— 2016 May 18, David Sims, “The Outcry Against the All-Female ‘Ghostbusters’ Remake Gets Louder”, in The Atlantic:
"With early virtues plant your breaſt, / The ſpecious arts of vice deteſt."
— 1727, [John] Gay, “Fable I. The Lyon, the Tyger, and the Traveller.”, in Fables, 2nd edition, volume I, London: […] J[acob] Tonson and J. Watts, published 1728, →OCLC, page 1:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ argument seemed very reasonable but was actually flawed and misleading.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His argument was ____ it sounded plausible at first but was actually based on false information.