as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
a specious argument that really does not stand up under close examination
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Recent Examples of specious
His lawyer, John Carman, said federal prosecutors dressed up a mundane paperwork case with specious suggestions that Lu was involved in spying and intelligence gathering.
—
ABC News,
13 May 2026
The majority, rather than being rattled by a president who had attempted a coup, labored to protect the country from the hypothetical danger of a presidency rendered impotent by specious criminal prosecutions.
—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
In its opinion, the district court admonished Aston for unhelpful responses, specious arguments, and sloppy portrayals of the statements alleged to be responsive.
—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2026
There have been all sorts of concerns for a while, including shenanigans around using metrics from SaaS to apply to AI-native companies (that logic is specious at best).
—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for specious
ABC News,
13 May 2026
The majority, rather than being rattled by a president who had attempted a coup, labored to protect the country from the hypothetical danger of a presidency rendered impotent by specious criminal prosecutions.
—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
In its opinion, the district court admonished Aston for unhelpful responses, specious arguments, and sloppy portrayals of the statements alleged to be responsive.
—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2026
There have been all sorts of concerns for a while, including shenanigans around using metrics from SaaS to apply to AI-native companies (that logic is specious at best).
—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for specious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specious
Adjective
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Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee released a report this week criticizing the president and Freedom 250, accusing it of diverting funds and misleading sponsors.
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The charge alleges a person knowingly defrauded another by using false or misleading information to obtain money, property, credit or a loan.
Adjective
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Shadow fleet vessels disguise their identity and purpose through a broad range of deceptive activities, including spoofing their locations and destinations.
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The complaint alleged deceptive advertising and other misconduct.
Adjective
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The charge alleges a person knowingly defrauded another by using false or misleading information to obtain money, property, credit or a loan.
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Opponents of Amendment 5 have flatly called the advertisement misleading or false.
Cite this Entry
“Specious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specious. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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