1
as in unreasonable
not using or following good reasoning
it's fallacious to say that something must exist because science hasn't proven its nonexistence
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
consumers who harbor the fallacious belief that credit-card spending will never catch up with them
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fallacious
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
Bad legislation and fallacious arguments are threatening our most renowned educational institutions, which have made major contributions to our understanding of science and society and to our health and economic well-being, institutions that are the envy of the world.
—Burton G. Malkiel, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2022
But he's been criticized by some Republicans, mostly quietly, for relentlessly supporting Trump's fallacious claims of a fraudulent election last November and for not forcefully criticizing Trump for helping provoke the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.
—Alan Fram, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Feb. 2021
Jurors got the the analytics reports, mixed with Jones’ wildly fallacious broadcast denials of the shootings, during the third day of trial in a suit against Jones and his business by a first responder and relatives of the 26 students and educators who died.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 15 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for fallacious
Susan Lahey, Popular Mechanics, 24 July 2023
Bad legislation and fallacious arguments are threatening our most renowned educational institutions, which have made major contributions to our understanding of science and society and to our health and economic well-being, institutions that are the envy of the world.
—Burton G. Malkiel, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2022
But he's been criticized by some Republicans, mostly quietly, for relentlessly supporting Trump's fallacious claims of a fraudulent election last November and for not forcefully criticizing Trump for helping provoke the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.
—Alan Fram, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Feb. 2021
Jurors got the the analytics reports, mixed with Jones’ wildly fallacious broadcast denials of the shootings, during the third day of trial in a suit against Jones and his business by a first responder and relatives of the 26 students and educators who died.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 15 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for fallacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallacious
Adjective
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But the comparison of the former Pac-12 to the new Pac-12 isn’t unreasonable, either.—
Jon Wilner,
The Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2025
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Reasons to hire Gen Z include their focus on balance and staying grounded—which have the benefit of reducing burnout or unreasonable expectations.—
Tracy Brower,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Friedrich Nietzsche's idea of rationality, Apollonian, and the irrational passion, defined as Dionysian, have always been a sort of philosophical guide for Murano; his way of conceiving fashion.—
Alberto Calabrese,
Vogue,
4 Mar. 2025
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There’s a philosophical view, best associated with the scholar L. A. Paul, that the decision to have children is fundamentally irrational.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Burrowes’ new fraud lawsuit also includes claims for unjust enrichment and deceptive business practices.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
26 Feb. 2025
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken some steps to regulate the collection of data in vehicles, focusing on consumer protection and preventing deceptive practices.—
Eric Reicin,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In those documents, West discussed not only how to conduct experiments to implant false memories, instill specific mental disorders, and induce trance states, but also how to hide them.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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To illustrate, in the United Kingdom vaccinations took a considerable dip in the early 2000s after Wakefield’ false claims of a link between the MMR shot and autism were posted in the media.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Russia's Putin, meanwhile, has remained in power for decades through deepening crackdowns on free expression and increasingly illegitimate elections, according to international experts.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC News,
24 Feb. 2025
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Trump is now repeating Kremlin talking points — that Ukraine, not Russia, started the war; that Zelenskyy is an illegitimate leader unpopular with Ukrainians.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This is not illogical, in the same way that any blackmail makes sense on paper.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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There’s also the usual fare: the knightly armor, bone gear, and massive, completely illogical fixtures of clothing that would be physically impossible to wear or move around with in the real world.—
Josh Broadwell,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fallacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallacious. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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